I already have a suspicion that anything you might say would certainly be bad news.
--
Since Hythlodaeus had already been to the lab before, that's where Viktor met with him again. It looked much the same as it had before but instead of the kerosene heater, it was instead cooler to stay inside thanks to a sort of air conditioning that Viktor wasn't sure about the source of, and for all he knew it was a type of magic. A box fan did sit on the floor quietly circulating air throughout the large laboratory.
Viktor also looked much the same as he had before. Which is to say that he was wearing the single black glove again despite not apparently needing it until very recently.
When he arrives he doesn't shift his sight right away. He'll wait for Viktor to give the go-ahead for that - give him what ever time he needs to steel himself against the answer he probably already knows he's going to get. Hythlodaeus doesn't miss the glove, glances at it, but doesn't comment.
Not yet.
"You don't need to thank me, it's no imposition."
And it isn't as if using Soul Sight drains him in any way. It's simply a talent he has.
Viktor gave a resigned sigh but he also nodded. He didn't stall any, there would be no point since this was something that was already happening to him whether he knew about it or not. Viktor loosened each finger of the glove and then drew it off completely.
Beneath the glove his hand now looks as it once did but also with a visible intensity over the way that it was. The husks of ligaments and tendons and the overall fibrous quality now seemed to stretch between what should be the bone structure of the hand. It was still warm to the touch but also felt like a strange mix of metal and stone.
For why he's here, Hythlodaeus wouldn't have needed him to take the glove off at all... but the gesture is noted regardless. It looks... worse, he thinks, than when he last saw it.
"How long has it been like this?"
There's a subtle shift in the way he's holding his attention and the corners of his eyes pinch, but he quickly flicks his eyes back to Viktor's face without needing to examine the problem too closely.
"... I'm afraid to say your suspicions were correct. What happened?"
"In hindsight, I think it's been like this for some time I just wasn't able to see it."
Viktor isn't sure how much Hythlodaeus already knows about the bodyswap.
"My body was shutting down and I didn't expect to live very long. As crazy as it does sound when I say it out loud I actually went through something like a complete body replacement to try to remedy that. I suppose that at the time I did not think about it further and it wasn't until this last Trial that I found that I could still do the sort of magic that losing aether allowed me to do before. "
That was a bit of an understatement since Viktor had used that magic ability a lot during this past Trial.
"So when my hand looked like this it was after I had been making use of that magic ability."
What Viktor isn't saying is that he was actually intending to harm something when it did show itself.
As it turns out he knows next to nothing about it because he didn't get himself involved, but from the expression on his face it's clear enough what he thinks about it. Dangerous. Very dangerous. And ultimately, it seems, entirely pointless.
"Viktor."
He doesn't need to be told much more to put the pieces together. Hythlodaeus frowns and steps a little away from the other man, pacing back and forth a couple of times. In this, he is not an expert and nor would he claim to be despite his general level of intelligence, but...
"... You're going to have to start from the beginning."
"As you know I had been experimenting on myself with an apparently unstable magical object. At the time my body was shutting down from my bones to muscles and internal organs and showing up as me coughing up pieces of my lungs specifically. In an effort to artificially extend my life, I was experimenting on my own body. I did not intend for it to affect anyone else but my research assistant was absorbed by said magical object and died in a most horrific way."
Viktor was so consumed by the guilt, he very seriously considered taking his own life.
"By the time I made my way to Folkmore I had already been experimenting on myself for some time. I was then unable to walk without the assistance of a crutch and had roughly four months left to live. That was the reason for the complete body replacement. It was ordinarily not something I would have thought was possible but I did come into contact with a god that was able to do it."
Now Viktor did grimace a little bit.
"But while it did have an effect on what showed in my hand, in hindsight I can see that it would have had no effect on my aether."
And Viktor now felt very foolish not to have counted on that.
"I should have realized what was happening when I was still able to use the sort of magic that I had been using whenever it would consume more of my aether, but I will fully admit that I've been frustrated by my lack of ability to be useful in any sort of fight. During the last Trial specifically, there were times when I could do so little with the sort of magic that I had been using and I..."
Here he faltered a bit but knew that he was going to have to explain this whether he wanted to or not.
"...I used the magic that I had been using to cause harm. To actively hurt something. At that moment my hand changed into what you are now seeing."
Most of it is what he already knows though he does not mind the mental refresher on Viktor's current situation and what brought him to it. What had happened since the last time he had seen the man, though, is all new to him and some of it...
Hmm.
Hythlodaeus shakes his head and brings his hand up to distractedly toy with the end of his braid as he thinks it all through.
"Magic is magic. It's neither good or bad in and of itself. How you decided to use it shouldn't have caused this kind of acceleration." The concept of all things being in balance is not strange to Hythlodaeus. He knows it well, but does not see how this could be an expression of it.
"Just how powerful is the magic you were using? If you can describe it."
Aether regenerates in time, but he already knows that Viktor's is being drawn out of him by something that he has no doubt someone like Emet-Selch would understand with far more ease than he could.
"Powerful enough that it initially caused a mutation in unhealthy cells."
Viktor's expression was haunted while explaining that.
"Based on what you said and my own experience of mutation and a mutation-caused magic, I have developed a theory for what I have been thinking of as magic."
His expression was pained now.
"I think it's not magic at all. I believe that because it is so limited in capability, what is actually happening is my aether is being consumed and the byproduct is what I have been using.
Since intentions are a form of magic in the world I come from it would be logical that my intentions were somehow connected to my aether."
If that is the case, Viktor isn't sure how he would be careful with his emotions. Or which emotions could full which intentions for that matter.
He can think of a few people off the top of his head who would be utterly fascinated with what is happening to Viktor. Hythlodaeus is, unfortunately, not one of them... though he has a personal stake in this now and can't simply walk away from it as if he doesn't care about what happens to someone he has begun to view as a friend.
"I see, I see." Yes, that does make sense. It would be a mistake to believe that he could judge all of this based only on his own understanding of magic. What Viktor says sounds something akin to creation magic, however, so it's not too difficult for him to adjust his thinking.
For a few long moments he's quiet, then he huffs out a soft breath.
"So, do you have an idea of what you're going to do next?"
It's better to think about it as the opposite of creation magic; un-magic. While Viktor does have some mutation that has started to change him, what is really happening is that the black hole that is consuming his aether is consuming everything from magic to organic material, which is why his hand is showing physical changes. Though he doesn't know it the Familiar bond he has created before this happened is helping to slow down the loss of his aether too.
"I don't know. I don't know of a way that would undo the loss that has already happened."
Though it would always be there and was the topic of this conversation Viktor put the black glove back over his hand.
"The problem has always seemed that you were losing your... 'life force', so to speak, more quickly than your body is able to regenerate it."
Aether not being a finite resource, though certainly having its limits... Hythlodaeus can still admit he's never seen anything quite like Viktor's problem before. He lapses into thought again, a crease forming in his brow as he frowns and thinks...
"And you can't keep relying on me to top you off, as happy as I am to do it."
A more permanent solution would be better, but it seems that whatever Viktor did to himself it's attached to his very being, not just the body he occupies. The researchers at Anyder would really have a field day with this.
Viktor took a moment to make certain the glove was snug on every finger as he thought over what Hythlodaeus said. Faster than his body could regenerate it...
"What if another body was linked to my 'life force', or my aether as you put it?"
Viktor wasn't sure where he was going with this line of thought, but the Familiar bond that he had created being linked to his own aether made as much sense as so much did here in Folmore.
He thinks about it, tilting his head slightly to one side and curling one finger against his chin. Viktor might not be sure where he's going with that line of thought but Hythlodaeus can see it.
"It could potentially balance you out, at least temporarily..." But... "But it could be dangerous in the long term, for you and for them. You'd need to be careful." He pauses, then makes a small gesture with one hand.
"Of course, I can only speculate based on my own knowledge."
I wasn't sure who I could possibly talk to about this, but you at least don't need any sort of explanation.
I feel like I'm less and less in control of any violent urges that I feel. While I understand that you wouldn't know any better than I did because of this unique situation, I just... find myself feeling afraid I think?
Before when the Void was strengthened, I had been repeatedly frustrated by my lack of ability to use this sort of magic to any great effect. But then when I felt the urge to actually hurt something in the desert, I can't tell if that urge came from me or was the influence of the Void.
It started out as defense of another and I am not sure when that changed, but I took it a lot further than just defense. That's what I mean by violent urges.
Honestly I think that they are already worried for me, but as callous as it sounds I know that you at least won't be as emotionally involved so I would be not as likely to upset you if I told you these things.
I based it on what I already know of the Void, both for its ability to magically mutate living organisms and its ability to affect organic tissue, which is why my hand is showing changes regardless of what body I am using. What I have been calling magic is not actually magic at all. Instead, it's a by-product made when the Void consumes more of my aether.
I don't think I'm going anywhere. Mostly I think I just wanted to be able to talk through my thoughts without someone becoming further upset by it when I did.
I've never had a violent nature before but I will admit to feeling a sort of detached calm when I am using violence now. I can't tell where my mind ends and the Void's influence begins on this. I think that the hex core is now so attuned to me personally that while it's consuming parts of me, it is using the organic material of anyone that is close to it. It already consumed my research assistant, Sky Young, but the worst part of that was it used her organic material to finish rebuilding my leg.
Interesting... The creation magic used by my people operates on a similar concept, so I think I understand.
As for the effect it's having on your mind... my recommendation would be to stop using the power it's giving you. I'm sure you're already aware of that.
Yes I have thought of that. However without using it, there is next to nothing that I can do to have any effect on the Trial-made hazards. This becomes problematic when there is someone else who is being hurt by them, and the only means I have of helping them is by using the power that it grants me. It's a matter of Damned if I do and Damned if I don't.
What could I tell them? That I feel afraid of what the Void is doing to me? What good would knowing that I feel afraid of what is happening to me do? I don't know how to stop it, and even if I stopped using what power the process is granting me I will still eventually be consumed anyway.
All else being equal, yes I would. But something you have to understand is that Jayce has been protective to the point of smothering. I worry that if I do tell him what I feel when I see the Void's hold over my mind and body increasing, it will cause him needless levels of stress. I would much rather he have as little stress as possible.
Ah, I see. In that case, you can trust me to keep the matter to myself. However, if you feel yourself slipping further, I urge you to tell someone about it. Even if that someone is me. I will do what I can.
[When Hythlodaeus arrives at The Prancing Pony, the waitstaff will usher him to a private table. It's nothing special, truly, and yet it seems chosen with intent. The atmosphere in this corner is as light-hearted and whimsical as the rest of the pub, but it's just the teensiest bit quieter, just the smallest amount removed from the hustle and bustle, and practically perfect for peoplewatching.]
[Emet-Selch won't keep him waiting, either. Such was never his wont.]
[If Hythlodaeus was expecting a spectacle, there is no sign of one yet. Still, Emet-Selch looks put-together (if understated) in his dark coat and slacks, and he seems to be in an agreeable enough mood whilst he takes a seat opposite him, the dark feathers extending from his shoulders fluffing once to shrug off the winter chill before vanishing altogether.]
I do hope you brought an appetite.
[An off-handed remark, at odds with the way his bright eyes focus on Hythlodaeus - relaxed, but determined.]
[Emet-Selch hardly ever does anything without some thought put into it and as he arrives at the Prancing Pony and is led over to a private table, Hythlodaeus is entirely sure that now is no different. He slides into his seat with a smile, noting how the other man is dressed (very typically for him, he thinks, and he would have expected nothing else). Hythlodaeus, for his part, tends to prefer lighter colours but has not gone out his way as far as whimsy is concerned.]
Naturally.
[Amongst other things... A burning curiosity for one, and no small amount of peculiar anxiety bubbling in the pit of his stomach. There's something about this that feels a little different from any other time they have sat down for a meal together.
He feels as if he's anticipating something.
But, as ever, Hythlodaeus keeps his appearance a jovial one and makes himself comfortable.]
This is a very good spot. I must commend you on your choice. [He does so love to people-watch.] And I am rather fond of the place. Are you familiar with the menu?
[Well, Hythlodaeus isn't wrong. This time would be somewhat different, though whether to enjoy the meal as usual or simply announce his purpose is another matter entirely.]
[In the end, Emet-Selch decides to allow Hythlodaeus to set the pace. After all, he'll be needing his friend's participation sooner rather than later anyway. He allows his arms to rest upon the table, taking but a moment to absorb their surroundings before his attention returns to his companion - and the menu, he supposes.]
Only sparingly. Thus, if you've recommendations to make, I would hear them.
The last time I entered this place was when I decided to make a tour of the land. See all there was to see. The atmosphere hasn't changed much, though I daresay the crowd has grown considerably.
They have a wonderful variety of vegetarian dishes that I've become partial to.
[Though Hythlodaeus is not necessarily opposed to eating meat as a rule he has found that, for the most part, he doesn't need to and that the options to avoid it very much suit his pallate.]
And you did choose to come at a popular hour. Not that I'm complaining, mind you... I'm enjoying the view.
[Which view he means is entirely up to interpretation as he tilts his head slightly to look over to Emet-Selch while the words leave his mouth. He picks up a menu to look over it.]
As for drinks... I think I'll start with something non-alcoholic. The strawberry lemonade is delightful.
Do they now? That's quite unusual - and promising. As convenient as the shops are in Epiphany, they are not precisely known for their fresh produce. Rather, much of the offerings are battered and fried in oil, or served over a hot cooktop.
[Emet-Selch scans the menu, or at least pretends to. Many of the dishes are familiar to him, if not in name, than in description. Yet even if he's beginning to feel a bit peckish, he isn't here for the food, and doesn't plan to lose himself to indecision.]
Perhaps a vegetable quiche. Or the roasted eggplant and tomato pasta.
[Another glance in Hythlodaeus's direction. His thoughts are ordered, and he thinks (he feels) that he could tackle this conversation at any time. However, it may perhaps be kinder to wait, so that neither of them will have to suffer a potential bout of indigestion. Not that he's worried, particularly. Whatever the answer, he can endure. He's far too old, far too tired, to even consider walking away from this like a dejected puppy with his tail tucked between his legs.]
[He must have fallen silent too long, so he adds:]
Lemonade you said? Sounds a bit sour if you ask me. Or do you prefer it when seemingly opposing flavors are tossed together in unexpected ways?
Fine choices either way. Why don't you have one and I'll have the other?
[The implication being that they can share, and see which one of them each prefers for the next time they might be here to make an order. Hythlodaeus suggests it as easily as he might ask someone about the weather then sets his menu down as if that decision has been made.
The next comment does make him laugh, however.]
'T is a philosophy I like to apply to life as much as food, as well you know. [The lemonade itself is not particularly sour thanks to the sweetness of the strawberries, but he does not think that the lemonade itself was actually the centre of his friend's point.]
Sometimes, 't is worth trying something one might not expect they will enjoy. [He smiles wryly.] Such ventures often yield unexpected surprises.
[An inquiring tilt of his head, though he remains unruffled. Whether the prospect of sharing has crossed Emet-Selch's mind, however, remains to be seen. What can be said is that he's more than pleased to not have to fuss about the food. After all, those are the lowest stakes, and from what he has heard, the food here is above average across the board.]
Fair enough, I suppose. So long as we needn't go through the trouble of casting lots over which dish should go to whom.
[His own menu is set aside, so that he might offer his undivided attention.]
But, yes. The "try it and you might like it" hypothesis with its 50% success rate. When embarked upon with company, the odds of at least one person enjoying himself quickly increases, the chance that those who don't might at the very least find something meaningful and positive in the experience through the proxy of their friend's enjoyment, too, rises exponentially. That philosophy?
[Hardly scientific, but then he wasn't trying to be. If anything there's a wry note of humor tucked between the syllables as he speaks.]
And what have you discovered of late? Something you didn't walk into with an open mind?
[His smile turns mischievous again as it plays about his lips. Oh, Emet-Selch, ever with such cutting words. The grouch.
And yet, Hythlodaeus remains incredibly fond of him regardless. He wouldn't be the same person if he wasn't like this, and this is the person that first drew him in. Opposites attract and all that. He knows that a good heart beats inside the man's chest in spite of his sour demeanour.]
Yes, yes, that hypothesis. And no, not recently, though have you ever known me to approach any situation with anything less than an open mind? [Granted, he has some Opinions about Thirteen which one would likely not classify as 'open-minded', but when it comes to her... well, he has his reasons, as many here do.]
I seem to recall it was you who so often needed their arm twisting.
My arm doesn't need twisting. 'Twas you who made it his responsibility to ensure that it was always thoroughly wound.
[He simply knows what he wants, and knows equally the sorts of activities he has no particular interest in. The manner of mischief he,d never agree to on the surface, but would allow himself to be swept up in - so long as it wasn't by his own admission.]
And no, not particularly. In fact, I'm rather counting on it.
Oh, he did miss this. More keenly than he realised, after all. When a member of staff comes by to enquire after their order he cheerfully replies for the both of them then settles back into position, pausing a moment before reaching over to place his hand lightly over Emet-Selch's wrist.
They both know as well as the other that he is not so weak-minded as to allow himself to be swept up into things he did not, on some level, actually want to be a part of. It's something about him that Hythlodaeus has always found terribly endearing.]
So, do you have plans for us for the rest of the evening? I am entirely at your disposal after all.
[Ah, he's smiling that smile again.]
Or did you simply wish to wine and dine me and then leave me with a kiss at my door?
[Emet-Selch has half a mind to interrupt, to argue that he can order his own meal, thank you very much - and yet he cannot find it within himself to speak up. The reply is so cheerful as to be effortless, something scarcely even considered before Hythlodaeus reaches across the table for his arm, his palm warm against his skin.]
[Emet-Selch regards it for a moment, before facing Hythlodaeus squarely. Smile or no smile, it seems his time for rumination is over. He may as well get this over with before it drags on any longer.]
After all of these years, do you truly expect me to stop at dinner and a simple peck on the cheek? You know as well as anyone that I'm unaccustomed to doing anything by halves.
[He lays his other hand firmly over his, holding it there so Hythlodaeus can't pull it away immediately.]
I'll take you up on your offer. It saves me the trouble of inventing excuses to prolong our time together, don't you think?
[Oh, that teasing backfired tremendously and Hythlodaeus feels his face begin to heat up before he can scramble to pull himself together from the surprise of what the other man is implying. Or... what he thinks he is implying.]
Well...
[Flustered, he smiles uncertainly as he looks at his hand, pinned in place as it is by the one atop it. After all of these years, he said, and as that sinks in Hythlodaeus' eyes flash up. His lips part as if he's going to say something then press together, then he chuckles.]
To think that you are still able to surprise me. [He does sound terribly endeared by the revelation.] But you should know that excuses are unnecessary. I would never turn down the pleasure of your company.
[Emet-Selch watches as his face begins to flush, his gaze bright with something like triumph, although he refrains from commenting on Hythlodaeus's change in complexion. He'd rather not make this embarrassing for him, after all. Enough that his remarks earned a reaction - and not a terrible start, either.]
Yes, and I believe I could get used to it. Surprising you, that is.
[His mouth twitches in amusement - because he is amused. So rare the opportunity to properly turn the tables on his friend. But he won't be cruel about it. After a moment, he carefully releases his hand.]
Perhaps you would also give some thought to staying over. I'm certain I've at least a few other tricks up my sleeve that may or may not interest you.
Of course, if you would prefer that I begin at square one and attempt to woo you properly...
I don't think we need to waste time with all that...
[It is tempting. To be wooed properly, with all the things that implies, it does have a certain appeal... But Hythlodaeus sees where this is going and as his heart races his impatience will absolutely not be denied—
He looks down as Emet-Selch moves his hand, his expression briefly clouding with disappointment. Then he smiles again, as he so often does. His fingers squeeze around the other man's arm.]
I think, in this matter, we have both been kept waiting for more than long enough. [Haven't they? He prays he has not misunderstood. His eyes are bright and intense and he's closer to Emet-Selch than he remembers getting. He doesn't remember moving.]
I should be very interested to see these tricks of yours. I may have one or two of my own to offer in turn.
[Emet-Selch notices too, how Hythlodaeus seems to have leant himself forward across the table, how his eyes appear both intent and almost starved. Expectant.]
[While he isn't keen on displaying his affection in public, he does chance to reach over and tuck a wayward wisp of his friend's hair back behind one ear.]
So it's to be a game of show-and-tell, is it? Sounds promising.
Perhaps I should also mention, in case you fear I've forgotten, that I have every intention of saying my piece. Tonight. It wouldn't do to ruin a perfectly good meal, even if the wait may prove to be excruciating.
[He pouts slightly as he settles back and simmers down again. Hythlodaeus can feel his heart racing with an anticipation that he can't quite put a name to, but he's sure that Emet-Selch is going to make him wait.
Admittedly, he could jump the proverbial gun. He could, but he has no wish to steal his friend's spotlight. So, patience it is. Patience, while the shell of his ear tingles where the other man had touched it and he has to resist the urge to play with his hair.]
But with so fine a view I cannot be too vexed.
[Back to the flirtatious teasing, then.]
You do know how to choose a very complimentary ensemble.
Then think of it as a surprise instead. You've always liked those, have you not?
[The words are more gentle than one of Emet-Selch's rebuffs would normally be, as if such pouting even deserves a considered reply. He knows Hythlodaeus is playing things up a bit, even as he knows (or at least hopes) there's some truth to his friend's impatience.]
[...And yet another sigh soon follows, his brow creases between his eyes. Emet-Selch could swear Hythlodaeus is doing this as a form of playful retaliation. He gauges his response for a moment as their drinks are brought to the table, silent until they are once again alone.]
And you are as lovely as a wisteria branch blooming in the springtime. You do know how to appeal to one's ego. ...if only I were a vain man.
[A pause and then:]
It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What would happen if our people dressed however they wished, inventing their own fashions, expressing their uniqueness.
For as much as we've always embraced conformity and accord, treating one another as brethren, equal in every way... we have ever been individuals, with that truth written upon our very souls.
[A soft, breathy 'hah' escapes him at the compliment. Very apt, there is no doubt about that, but he cannot recall a time when Hades has ever complimented him so blatantly. It prompts that giddy racing of his heart again as he looks across the table at the man and one of his hands curls loosely around the cool glass now set in front of him.]
It does make me wonder...
[The conformity and equality of their Etheirys was so entirely a social norm that to question it was almost unthinkable. Even Hythlodaeus himself, for all his quirks and eccentricities, had never veered too far away from what was expected of him in terms of appearance.
But he nods thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against the side of his glass.]
I wonder, were we not so convinced of the superiority of our social harmony, would things have gone differently for us. [No need to say what he's really thinking. The strength of the Sundered lay in their differences, as much as their own people were made weaker by their stubborn conformity.
His thoughts drift for a moment, then he laughs quietly and shakes his head.]
I, for one, have rather enjoyed wearing colours other than black while out in public.
[There it is again. That breathlessness he's witnessed some few times before. Enticing to chase after it, to see what Hythlodaeus will do should he continue, and yet...]
[Emet-Selch watches him over his glass, and then raises it by the stem, his response firm and not so easily swayed.]
I, for one, am still convinced.
You see, people long for the familiar. If they are presented with something too far outside of their beliefs, too different from what they know - they will reject it. Or worse, come to fear it.
I've seen wars begin over less.
[He takes a long, considering sip before setting the glass back down upon the table.]
That doesn't, however, mean that every puzzle can be solved in exactly the same way. Nor that expressing oneself with more than words alone is something to be denied.
After all, Etheirys herself has granted us a world full of color and diversity, one which even we hoped to expand - not by creating more of the same, but by growing our understanding of what is possible.
[He listens to Hades speaking, enthralled, watching the movement of his mouth and the amber-glow of his eyes while he speaks. Hythlodaeus can still feel that breathlessness that the other man noticed. It clenches at his chest and makes him need to take a pause before he says anything in return, though his dear friend seems inclined to giving him a small lecture.
Endearing. He smiles indulgently and reaches a hand over the table to take Emet-Selch's free one in his, rolling the pad of his thumb slowly over the knuckles.
He witnessed first-hand how people will flee from the unfamiliar when it challenges them too deeply. The fate of their Star had once balanced on such a knife edge.]
You're quite right, of course.
[His friend is wise, and it does him no harm to occasionally acknowledge that fact.]
We found expression in our creations and creativity. In our boundless love for our world. [Hythlodaeus pauses. He smiles again.] You always cared so much. I have always liked that about you.
[Emet-Selch's brow creases at that. 'Tis one thing to agree with or at least indulge his views, and quite another to cage him in with compliments. He has never accepted such words easily, preferring to ignore or deflect the praise of others instead. And this particular angle - to suggest that he is one overflowing with goodwill, with sentimentality - yes, it's a rather difficult one to swallow.]
[His mouth twitches into a frown, memory and sentiment, and the dull ache of old wounds warring with one another for an unspoken moment.]
I'm not certain I like where you're headed with this, but I can assure you that I have only ever "cared" as much as my duty required. Anything more was to my own detriment.
...
[He doesn't retract his hand this time, however. Instead, Emet-Selch lets out a low sigh of defeat and threads his fingers through Hythlodaeus's.]
...as we both well know. I once raged against the very thought that I would someday reanimate our home to sate my own whims, to fill the void of loss. And yet, every detail that was described to us that day came to pass precisely as foretold.
A megalomaniacal madman indeed.
And yet I ask myself: how could I have done anything less?
[Oh, it's such a terrible and transparent lie, but Hythlodaeus allows it. Hades always cared and cared deeply, underneath that prickly personality of his, and hadn't his closest friends always known it? Hythlodaeus certainly wouldn't have stuck himself so closely to someone who only cared within the boundaries of duty. He had always seen more in the other man.
As their fingers are laced together he smiles and squeezes Emet-Selch's hand. He remembers how furious he had been at the very idea that he might do something so dramatically sentimental, and that he might become the kind of man that their interesting new friend had described, and yet...]
How can anyone conceive of grieving for so long? No small wonder that such an act seemed ridiculous to you back then. [Hythlodaeus places his free hand over their joined ones.] Any of us might have done the same. I am sure that I would have, had I even a drop of your talent under the same circumstances.
[Then he shakes his head. It must have been a sight to behold, and for a stray thought to have produced a near-sapient version of himself from such yearning... It is enough to make him smile once more.]
And I think... you did realise that, even if only a little. That it was the truth. I could hardly have made you come around otherwise.
[A light snort follows. Emet-Selch remembers it well: commanding the Warrior of Light to never bother him again and storming out into the sunshine in something akin to righteous rage. He hadn't been left alone with it for long. Hythlodaeus had immediately come sprinting after him with an urgency he had never before witnessed from his friend.]
"Made me". [He echoes, making his skepticism perfectly plain.]
I allowed you to convince me. Whether I believed the tale or no makes no difference. What mattered was - bizarre as it sounded - a possibility existed that doom could befall not only our star but our people. It was my responsibility to investigate such claims further. To ignore them would have been a failure on my part.
[He frowns, head tilting to one side as he takes in that smile. Wondering just what it is that has Hythlodaeus feeling so...soft.]
You would have built an underwater city and populated it with phantoms...? You would have orchestrated your own final stand, to bet everything on victory, and ensure that - in the unlikely event of failure - your defeat, at least, would be by your own terms?
"Grief" until that time was a concept most could but speculate on. We did not know the weight of despair that accompanies losing everything, of having one's very existence changed before their eyes.
Yes, the actions of that man as he was described were ridiculous to me; insulting and out-of-character. Yet the part that infuriated me the most was that he lived through all of that, with the hopes of his entire civilization resting upon his shoulders - and then he lost.
[He listens, quiet and taking in every word, almost hanging off each one. The challenge is a valid one - would he have done what Emet-Selch had done had their positions been reversed? Could he have weathered the eons in the same way that the other man had; would he even have made it to the other side with his full sanity intact? It's hard to say what Hythlodaeus would have turned into had he remained alive and unsundered, but one thing is certain...]
I know well enough how it is to lose everything. [He says softly. His gaze wavers as though he might like to drop his eyes down, but he doesn't.] Not as you do, and I wouldn't claim it so, but...
[Hythlodaeus shakes his head. His smile fades a little.]
I will not pretend that I understand what all that time was like for you. I spent twelve eons drifting in a dream before my mind sharpened once again; I didn't have to go through what you did. I did not have to carry that weight. I cannot say that I could have without buckling under it.
[Gently, he tugs the other man's hand up and towards him. Gently, he presses a kiss to the backs of Hades' fingers.]
The you of back then didn't understand how he could have lost. Even I found it to be entirely dubious. [But he understands now, doesn't he. Hythlodaeus had heard it from the man's own mouth. In the end everything that had happened was what was supposed to and there was little arguing against it now.
The corner of his mouth quirks up.]
And while I cannot say I would have done it all... going out on my own terms? I think I could have managed that, at least. I'm not entirely useless.
[Emet-Selch says nothing. After all, what can be said? Much had been lost, yet rather than an emptiness, a void, their absense had ever felt like a palpable weight, one impossible to ignore. Instead, he considers what Hythlodaeus says next, his voice a low murmur.]
I see. So that is what befell those souls who gave themselves to Lord Zodiark. I do hope said dream was kinder than the reality of our situation. Or at the very least mostly inoffensive.
[Emet-Selch watches him, and the way that even now his friend appears to be trying to ease his burdens rather than apply a salve to his own. Hythlodaeus's touch is warm, his skin tingling beneath the softness of his lips in a way he hasn't felt in centuries, unashamed and unquiet. His eyes glint briefly, a kaleidoscope of color just waiting to be read.]
You always say that. [He chides quietly.] Even after all this time, I am left to wonder who it is that you feel you must convince?
I have never once found you useless, not entirely nor otherwise.
His idle protestations as to his usefulness - or lack thereof - have never held any water with his closest friends. They allow him the indulgence, he expects, but none of them actually consider him to be useless in any respect.]
I know. I know, Hades.
[He shakes his head. Why he would say it was easy enough to explain. Against his friends he was nothing special in terms of ability or intelligence and his self-appointed role as a supporting character in their lives made it easier to simply fade into the background of their various accomplishments.
Still with the other man's hand held loosely in his he leans his cheek against Emet-Selch' fingers, humming softly in thought.]
Perhaps I'm only convincing myself. You certainly never put any stock in it.
[While Emet-Selch will allow him the display of affection, it is some seconds into it, whilst Hythlodaeus is still humming to himself, that Emet-Selch loosens his hold just enough to prod his cheek with his index finger. A calculated admonishment.]
No, I don't.
And I should like to think that I have known you for long enough to have a sound opinion.
[He watches him carefully, eyes narrowing, but not in anger or frustration. In fact, he thinks his suggestion a perfectly reasonable one.]
Though, if you will forgive me for saying so, if you're still trying to convince yourself even now, perhaps it was about time you tried another method entirely.
[He reacts to the prod to his cheek, perhaps comically, with a little 'eh' as his attention slides towards it and he tilts his head so he can peer momentarily at the offending digit. Still with them clasped around the other man's, he lowers his hands to the table and keeps his eyes on them for a few beats.
It's strange. His protestations regarding his level of usefulness were almost always waved aside if not outright denied by his friends despite his persistence in stating them. It was almost like a little joke between them all, barely permitted due to Hythlodaeus' preference for a supporting role, but none of them would ever repeat the same things back to him.
That they were... allowing it had of course crossed his mind, though he had never really thought too hard about it before.]
Oh, there's nothing to forgive. [He shakes his head, patting Emet-Selch's hand before he moves to let him go.] But what other methods did you have in mind?
[Ah-ah-ah! The moment Hythlodaeus moves to release his hand, he'll find that Emet-Selch has made a play to capture one of his again, his fingers prepared to slide around the back of his palm and hold it there if need be.]
A demonstration of how useful you can be, perhaps? After all, if you see it with your own eyes, you will have little room to doubt.
"Seeing is believing" as they say.
[Emet-Selch lowers his voice until it is only just audible above the din.]
[What can he do but allow his hand to be captured once again, and without complaint at that. Still, he'll take the shivering sensation of those fingertips sliding around his palm regardless as he makes a playful feint as if to pull himself away that is clearly not intended to be followed through on.
He's looking at the man intensely again, as if he's hungry for every word coming out of his mouth. They had been apart for too long, he thinks... far, far too long.]
A demonstration..?
[His head tilts, lips curving in a small smile. Just what was his dear Hades planning?]
[Oh, don't be like that you insufferable tease! And after he's made an effort to hold your hand in public. Fortunately for Emet-Selch, he's managed to hook his fingers around the flat of his palm. Escape is still possible, but 'tis clear he isn't planning to release him just yet. Rather than let go, Emet-Selch's arm instead gets tugged further across the table, his shoulder dipping forward as he meets his friend's gaze.]
Need you ask? Absolutely nothing less than what you already want to do.
[It isn't so much a question as it is a statement, each word delivered with care. Emet-Selch looks as if he's about to continue when a timid "ahem" sounds from behind him, and with it, the arrival of their respective meals.]
[For his part, Emet-Selch appears a bit put-out by the interruption, but he at last returns to a more upright position, his attention drifting elsewhere, even as a wrinkle of vexation forms between his eyebrows. Perhaps he's more impatient than he'd prefer to believe.]
We will, of course, also touch upon this topic later. Along with everything else.
[By the Star, but do ignore the way that his face seems like it's burning again. How is it that this man keeps tripping him up again and again even with all the years they have known one another..? Even with all the years that he could have anticipated this, even if circumstances continually conspired to keep them from making the next step.
He would have liked Emet-Selch to continue, but the quiet sound of the server with their meals clearing their throat has him straightening up and almost tugging his hand free before he once again thinks better of it.
Along with everything else. How such a simple phrase can make every inch of his skin tingle.]
We should enjoy our meals, then. [He smiles, waiting for the server to leave before adding;] It sounds like we're going to need the energy.
[Emet-Selch makes a sweeping motion with his free hand to indicate the two plates, one adorned with a delectable-looking vegetable quiche, and the other a tangy eggplant pasta. A small basket of bread has been set to one side with both melted butter and seasoned olive oil for dipping.]
I don't believe we ever clarified which dish belonged to whom. Choose whichever you like, as long as I won't be hearing about it later.
[Of course, this will all require two hands rather than one, and at last Emet-Selch prompts:]
[So maybe it's a little reluctant, the way he finally takes his hand back, but he slips his fingers free and looks over the two dishes for a moment before decisively selecting the quiche. He picks up some bread to go along with it and settles comfortably into his seat.
Then he pauses, for a long moment, his fork in his hand and his attention apparently elsewhere. His gaze flickers and he lets out a soft breath through his nose.]
This is so nice. [Just spending time together, regardless of the why.] And entirely too long in coming.
[He pauses to take a bite of food, chewing it thoughtfully.]
At the risk of irritating you with my sentimentality... I'm glad you're here. I missed you.
[Emet-Selch doesn't appear to mind the decision. He slides the other plate towards himself, twirling the noodles around his fork in a practiced (if somewhat idle) sort of way. It's when Hythlodaeus lets out another breath that Emet-Selch glances across the table at him to see precisely why he sighed.]
[He's quiet a moment, considering.]
I won't begrudge you your sentimentality. That my presence remains a novelty to you is favorable, after all...
Indeed, compared to you I find it all too easy to dismiss the little things - present company nonwithstanding, that is. I would therefore urge you to cherish every moment.
['Tis the sort of thing he used to say once upon a time, to their mutual friend.]
Though I suppose it's worth noting that I have come by several important truths during the course of mine own journey. One of which being that I have existed without you once - and I would not do so again.
[Cherishing every moment is not something he has to be told to do twice. They had had precious little time together, watching the end of the final act playing out across so grand a stage, before they had both moved on together. Hythlodaeus would be lying if he said he had not the smallest amount of regret for not having needled him to stay a bit longer.
It could have been fun.
He's in the middle of a bite, listening to the other man speak and letting the sound of his voice roll over him, when he goes ahead and says that. It's just as well that Hythlodaeus had managed to swallow his mouthful because the way his breath catches in his throat would have surely had him choking.]
You-... [There is a single, slightly mortifying realisation in that moment. Though Hades has caught him by surprise several times already he has not said anything yet that has hit Hythlodaeus so squarely in the chest as this. He blinks rapidly then sets his fork down, pushing the heel of his hand lightly against the corner of his eye and giving a shaky laugh.] You have no idea what it does to me when you say things like that, do you?
[Or maybe he does. Hythlodaeus shakes his head.]
In all the time I spent in that strange dream... I still somehow noted your absence. I wondered, at times... if you knew how you might find me, but then I thought, no, if you knew, you would have come. [He picks his fork up again. Gives a small sniff as he pulls himself together.] But you should know, my dear Hades, that if you want me then I am yours. As I ever was.
[Not precisely as planned. It takes a moment for him to realize that it isn't the food or a sudden case of indigestion that has Hythlodaeus falling silent, it's that his friend seems dangerously close to openly weeping.]
[And this the very least of what he could say. The dish has rather lost its flavor, Emet-Selch brushing the plate and silverware to one side so that he might lean over the table, his brows knit.]
[How strange it is...this feeling. How long since he last spoke with utter authenticity. Not the truth, for truth's sake, but putting his own thoughts and emotions to words.]
If you would perhaps be willing to describe it in excruciating detail, then I might be provided some inkling.
[He says. His expression appears complicated, a brief moment of brevity - a hopeful quirk of his lips, before his expression turns serious once more. Emet-Selch folds his hands together on the table in front of him, shoulders squared as he shakes his head - Hythlodaeus may wish to withhold the fork a moment longer.]
The time you spent within Lord Zodiark, you mean? Aye, I knew where I might find you. What I did not know was what state I might find you in, nor what would occur should I attempt to retrieve you, nor whether you would come, having already made your decision.
Nay. My efforts were instead devoted entirely to the Rejoining, that you and everyone else might find some semblance of home to return to; as was our promise. Needless to say, we never dreamed that such a reunion would be so long in coming - not in the beginning at least.
[Another pause, and then.]
Hardly the most romantic of admissions, I confess. A paltry offering for your candor. Yet you should know that I do want you. As ever I did.
[The fork goes down again. A little more slowly this time, carefully placed against the edge of the quiche and its accompaniments. Hythlodaeus moves out of his chair, though it's only to shift himself (and the chair) closer to the other man's side of the table.
Once there he takes hold of Hades' hand and lifts it to his lips to gently kiss it.]
And I should be very cross with you for taking this long to finally come out with it.
[Should be. By the Star, he should be! How long had he spent wanting to have him like this? They could have been— The things they could have had. It's infuriating. Hades is infuriating.
He's utterly infuriating, and Hythlodaeus utterly adores him, through and through.]
Just kiss me, would you? Before I start to cry and embarrass us both.
[Hades watches him. For a moment he wonders if Hythlodaeus will leave. 'Tis a possibility he hasn't accounted for, but one he might understand. Instead, he finds Hythlodaeus moving his chair so they can sit within arms' reach of one another, his hand taken for what could well be the dozenth time. He's already lost count, beyond the fact that his touch is warm, gentle, and earnest.]
[It's enough to soothe even the hardest of hearts, he thinks - that sort of devotion.]
Such is your right. Though I daresay you have a most unusual way of showing it.
[Hythlodaeus doesn't seem cross. There are any number of reasons he could be, and yet he has been met only with compassion. A compassion he doesn't deserve, perhaps, but one he cannot help but yearn for.]
[Hades sighs, as if he's been holding his breath for the same span of time that he's kept this truth to himself. The backs of his fingers brush across Hythlodaeus's cheek softly, toying with the flyaway strands that curl over his ear.]
And what assurance do I have that you won't cry even if I do kiss you? But since you asked...
[He's aware enough of their surroundings. Hythlodaeus is close, his own back angled in such a way that there's little chance of most people seeing. And at the moment, a part of him isn't certain he cares. Let them see. Let them see just who - and what - he has longed for all these years.]
[He tilts Hythlodaeus's chin, his lips pressing to his. Chaste, but unhesitating.]
[There are several reasons why he isn't really cross at all, not least of which is the fact that he had all the time in the world to say something as well. He kept it to himself by choice, not wanting to create a potential issue between them, and only now does he seem to have enough bravery to say what he really wants.
Not too late, he would hope, and not too little.
The demand was born of impatience laced with his usual good humour. Hythlodaeus couldn't be sure what Emet-Selch's reaction might be - if he might refuse outright or politely defer the request until later - but he finds himself pleasantly surprised on all counts.
A soft touch to his cheek, the brushing back of his hair... he feels himself flush pink but doesn't dare move. He wouldn't dare even chance to give Hades cause to doubt. The tilt of his chin has him leaning in a little, eyes dipping shut and heart pounding in anticipation, and finally the moment he has desired for so long crystallises into reality.
Hythlodaeus slips a hand into the other man's hair, gripping gently against it as if to hold him in place as he presses softly into that kiss, lingering in it for as long as he possibly can. When they part his eyelashes are wet and he wipes them quickly with the heel of his hand.]
Ah-hah. I didn't cry. [He might, still. He looks elated and overwhelmed all at once.] You do know how to keep a man waiting... but as ever, you don't disappoint.
[He could understand being cross. He could even understand being cross at himself. It's both vexing and gratifying - the warmth of his friend leaning forward into him, the way his fingers wind into his hair - not quite pulling, but holding him captive all the same. The frustration of having yearned for this so long, culminating into this all too brief pinpoint in time - so soft, so bright it feels as though he has stepped out of reality entirely and then returned to find his world-weary heart beating once again. CLumsy and fumbling.]
[As if one taste could ever be enough.]
So you would claim when I have scarcely done anything - aside from wreck havoc on my own carefully laid plans.
[It's a mild complaint, and here he pauses, gently cupping Hythlodaeus's face. He looks as though he might let go at any moment - but he doesn't. Instead, he watches his friend, his expression lifting hopelessly - the mask slipping for just a moment into something far more tender and fond.]
[If Hythlodaeus were to claim that pulling away from that kiss had been easy it would have been the most blatant lie he had ever told, and all he has to give in the face of Emet-Selch's utterly dashed plans (no doubt incredibly carefully laid) is a ringing laugh. He can hardly be sorry, can he, with the way that things have turned out?
Then his brows raise a little, his heart skipping a beat with the way his old friend's expression softens and that ever-present mask lifts just enough for him to see the fondness behind it, and he lets out a quiet 'tch'.]
Welcome, am I..? [He doesn't recall that he thanked Hades for anything, but then again...
Hythlodaeus chuckles again, gently bumping their foreheads together for a moment.]
Oh, my dear, enigmatic love. [His heart is racing now. Maybe it had never stopped.] I'll allow some measure of gratitude that you finally found your nerve. [Another little bump, softer, before he leans in to murmur very quietly beside the other man's ear.]
But once we're finished here, I'm going to intimately acquaint you with everything you've been missing out on.
[His eyes softly glowing with mirth, he pulls back, and then pointedly steals a bite of Hades' pasta dish before he moves his chair back around the table. Then, in a completely normal tone as though he had not just blatantly - and in public, however quietly -propositioned Emet-Selch moments earlier, he adds;]
['You are,' he wants to insist, his brow furrowing slightly just before the contact - something solid and startlingly close, close enough that he finds himself staring directly into those lovely eyes.]
My "nerve". Is that why you believe I waited so long? Because I somehow lacked the confidence to tell you outright?
[His grousing, too, is cut short, having scarcely escaped him when he feels Hythlodaeus's warm breath tickling his ear, the words seeming to hum and vibrate inside his head. He feels the tips of his ears grow hot, even as he wills his expression to careful neutrality.]
[It certainly doesn't sound like a poor offer. In fact, he scarcely needs to think about it at all with the way even his soul itself seems to shiver in interest.]
[There and gone; Emet-Selch is left to cluck his tongue at his friend's antics, staring pointedly at his now slightly less robust plate of noodles before he turns his attention back to his impish companion.]
Difficult to say, given there is now some overlap between your plans and mine. Then again, they were more of a loose guideline from the first, and not without room for revision.
[A crisp snap - fingers hidden beneath the table as Hythlodaeus's plate materializes in front of Emet-Selch. The man trims off a generous helping of the quiche with the side of his fork, depositing the crumbly pastry into his mouth, and scoots it back across the table to him. Tit for tat...and all that. He chews slowly first, contemplative.]
Yet at what point do we determine that we're finished here? I had my heart set on dessert.
[Does he believe that to be the reason? No, not really. There are a myriad of other reasons why it has not been said out loud until now and none of them really matter anymore.
Hythlodaeus makes a quiet, almost dismayed sound when he hears that snap, sees his plate vanish in front of him, and then it's his turn to pout as Hades takes a (in his opinion, far too generous) sample of his own meal before returning it.
Rude. Though, endearing, all the same.]
Oh, I'm sure we can take our time, if you're not in a rush.
[He smiles again, impish.]
And by all means we can have dessert. I quite fancied the cheesecake, myself. [Oh, how easily he settles back into casual conversation after what he had suggested was on the cards for them later that evening. Not that it is easy by any means. Truth be told he'd like nothing more than to rush Hades home right this minute, but a little anticipation would surely make things sweeter later on.]
Besides, we need some time to decide whose sheets we're going to be ruining.
[A noncommittal hum follows from Emet-Selch's side of the table. While his patience is hardly whittled down to nothing, he wouldn't object to taking their dessert - and the remainder of their meal - back with them.]
[A heavy sigh follows, a shake of his head. It is with the same sort of casual nature that Emet-Selch rests his chin on the heel of his hand - the elbow now quite brazenly propped against the table, some few ilms to the left of his plate.]
Such uncouth language, and not an onze of shame to be seen.
[With his free hand, he returns to threading noodles through his fork.]
You may return home with me. While I could hardly have predicted the exact course of the evening, I might have acted upon a number of considerations...in the event of a positive outcome, that is. Besides, it will give you another opportunity to raid my wine cabinet for some celebratory spirits. Though that is perhaps best saved for later. Much later, I should think.
[Emet-Selch blinks across the table at him as if they are settling some far more official matter than this mutual proposition of theirs.]
[Not a single onze of shame, but did Hades really expect it of him? Certainly his attitude has grown more shameless since matters became clear (and his skin is still tingling with the memory of that kiss) but with everything heading in what seems to be the right direction he finds himself buoyed by it all.
He returns to his meal, cutting off a bite of the quiche with the side of his fork. It really is quite delicious. A fine choice.]
Mm, I do think I would rather have all my wits about me while we... [Well. He may be uncouth but he can still show some tact. His lips curve in another mischievous smile.
No need to finish that sentence. Emet-Selch knows exactly what he's implying.
He gives his fork a little wave.]
Ought else should certainly be discussed in private, I think. I have reached my limits for brazen audacity for the moment. [Much to his friend's relief, he's quite sure.] I'm sure your preparations for this most positive of outcomes have been suitably thorough.
[A short, if clear acknowledgment. Of course Emet-Selch knows what he's implying, as his thoughts had drifted in the very same direction. While he'll likely wish he had finished his plate, the pasta (tastefully prepared as it is), is starting to look far less appetizing than the man sitting across from him.]
[Emet-Selch studies the dish thoughtfully.]
I find I could get used to it - this brazen audacity of yours. Still, I'm inclined to agree. We've much ground to cover, and while one can only hope such talk is not nearly as exhaustive as your promised demonstration, I would prefer not to leave you with any unanswered questions tonight.
As for the preparations themselves, I am confident you will find them more than adequate.
[A wave of his hand as he meets that mischievous smile with one of his own.]
And if not, then I suppose we'll just have to improvise, won't we?
[Hythlodaeus is doing - he thinks - a very good job of acting like he's got all the patience in the world for this runaround. In truth, he would drag Emet-Selch out of the door by his shirt if he didn't think the man would immediately scold him quite severely for making a scene. Besides, the mischievous teasing is fun in its own way, and even more so when his companion actually responds to it in kind.
Well then. He didn't think Hades had it in him.]
I suppose we shall. I find myself quite looking forward to it.
[Understatement of the eon. Hythlodaeus' patience lasts through the rest of their meal but does not extend to dessert, which the two of them have boxed up to go before one of them ends up saying something far too out of turn for a public setting.
He's almost giddy with anticipation when they arrive back at Emet-Selch's door and he does not wait long after entering the house before he's setting the bag containing their boxed treats down by his feet and curling his slender fingers into the other man's collar. He catches his lip slightly between his teeth as he gives the fabric a light but meaningful tug.]
Hades.
[Hythlodaeus looks up at the man from under his eyelashes.]
Still hungry are we? And this after we've just spent the last bell dining together.
[The quip is unnecessary, truly. A force of habit to fill the silence left in the wake of Hythlodaeus's...demand. For what else can he call such a firm assertion, one which leaves no room for misinterpretation? Hades's eyes are nearly blinding in the dim light of his living area. Here, there is no one else around to see, no one else around to hear, and little need to keep up any manner of appearance - save perhaps for his own pride.]
[Pride which, at the moment, is nearly drowned out by the way his own blood quickens in his veins, by just what those words do to him - and how much.]
[Hades takes a step forward, his hand sliding up the back of Hythlodaeus's spine as he meets that gaze, as he leans down - the what? scarcely an ilm or two between them - to kiss him again properly. He doesn't quite give in to the tug, however. Perhaps he's testing his luck - or gauging Hythlodaeus's desperation.]
[Still, the time for waiting is over, and so Hades speaks frankly, his breath still warm against Hythlodaeus's mouth.]
Tell me how you want me.
We should at least set the stage for the rest of the evening, should we not?
[He is sure that Hades is still trying to tease him, and how cruel he is to do something like that, but Hythlodaeus decides to go along with it.
He's hardly so shy that he's going to falter now. That kiss is answered hungrily, leaned up into as he keeps his grip on the other man's collar, and he just about manages not to whine when Hades draws away from him.
'Tell me how you want me.', he says, and Hythlodaeus' brain locks down for a moment. How is he supposed to answer that question? He has so many fantasies he scarcely has the words to describe them.]
I want to undress you. [Hythlodaeus tells him after a few moments of thought. His hands trail down the other man's chest with idle slowness.] And take my time to explore every inch of your skin.
[He inhales. His breathing shakes.]
I want you to touch me until all I can think about is you. I don't want to have a single thought in my head save for your name. [A button slides open under his thumb. He looks up at Hades again, meeting his eyes.] I want you to take me and I don't want you to tease too much. Not this time. I want to be yours, Hades, in every way you would mark me as such.
[That same hand moves up again, sliding into Hades' hair, gently combing through it.]
And I want you to be mine. I want to carve my love for you into your skin until it aches. [He's almost whispering, his eyes soft but earnest, meaning every word.]
I want you to make love to me like you've waited twelve thousand years to do it.
[Hades scarcely knows what to do for a moment, met as he is with such earnest honesty. He should be used to it by now, perhaps, and yet it still surprises him - startles him - when he has gone so long without, spent so much time mourning the loss of a soft laugh and a gentle hand.]
[Honest answers beget honest answers. There's no place for grumbling or teasing here, no room for misunderstanding. Idas has laid his heart bare. How then can he respond with anything less?]
[Hades exhales slowly, as if all of the tension and bluster is being evicted. He doesn't so much move, and yet he presses forward, ever so slightly, into that touch, lifting an arm to wind his fingers around the hand now combing through his hair - but doesn't stop its trajectory.]
What other way is there, love? Doubt you the span of years, or the breadth of my affection? 'Tis the only way I would know how to please you, and yet I could not tell you what such a thing would look like even if you asked me to.
[Hades meets his eyes.]
I would have you laid out beneath me with your hair tumbling across the pillows, your face cast in shadow so that I might drown myself in the color of your eyes. I would have you over me, leant forward so I may watch your delight and your ecstasy.
You speak of the flesh, and yet it is an ephemeral, borrowed thing. Yet if I were to mark you, I would engrave my love upon your very soul, so that you would never again have reason to doubt.
[He plucks the hand gently from his hair, presses his lips to the back of Hythlodaeus's hand before pressing it between his own. His gaze drifts, briefly, towards the door of his bedroom suite - still slightly ajar, with a warm, inviting golden glow spilling through the cracks.]
So go on. Explore to your heart's content. And perhaps in so doing you will see fit to lead me into sweet delirium, or drive me to the edge of tears. Mayhaps both at the same time.
[Up until the very last moment, he isn't entirely certain of how his words will be received. He is certain that Hades won't mock him, no, nothing like that, but as for what he will say...
And of course it is beyond anything he could have hoped to hear. He listens, enraptured once again by the other man's voice, while he speaks his heart with such eloquence and openness as Hythlodaeus has never quite heard from his lips. His heart swells close to cracking with it, brimming with emotion, the hand so gently clasped subtly trembling between warm palms.
Hades' attention drifts and his own goes with it, the barest of glances cast over his shoulder to that doorway before he's drawn back to the other man's face again. He pulls Hades' hands against his chest where his heart beats frantic and solid against his ribs and his still-free one slips nimble fingers around the back of his companion's neck to draw him in for another deep, warm kiss.]
I love you. [He's teased it. Hinted it. Now he puts it into plain words.] With all my heart and soul. With every mote of my being.
[Then he smiles, lowering their hands between them and snagging Hades' fingers as he steps back. Steps towards that inviting open door.]
Come. [Hythlodaeus tilts his head as his expression turns coy and soft all at once.] Let me show by actions what can never be adequately expressed in words.
[He can feel it. The way his fingers tremor, the wild rhythm beneath the palms of his hands where Hythlodaeus left them to feel. So much fire and excitement... He senses, too, the way his aether swells in anticipation, proven yet again as he's drawn into an ardent, affectionate kiss. The sort one reads about in books but never quite expects to experience himself.]
[Had his limbs not just been arranged in such a way, Hades would surely pull him in deeper still, instigate some of the desires Hythlodaeus had laid out for him. And yet it seems this discussion isn't over just yet. Hythlodaeus may as well be speaking music in place of words.]
[Hades is left to stare a moment, his fingers shifting against the loose fabric of Hythlodaeus's shirt, his eyelids drooping half-closed as he allows the notes to sweep over him again before - at last - he chuckles quietly, a single syllable both deep and fond.] I can feel it.
How fortunate I was planning to give you mine own heart. Yours seems fit to jump right out of your chest.
[He allows himself to be led towards his own bedroom, strange as it is. 'And a little early for that,' he thinks. His lips quirk briefly, and then his usual seriousness returns. Hythlodaeus had said that he shouldn't tease him too much. Which means he's still allowed to indulge in their usual games just enough.]
I would not have said your choice of words were inadequate. Still, if you believe you can do better, I'm not about to deny you your performance - assuming there will be some opportunity for audience participation...?
Do mind the bed, however.
[Hythlodaeus will discover what he means as soon as they pass the threshold. The bed itself is an expansive affair with clawed legs that stick out a few ilms too far, yet well-appointed with a tasteful array of pillows and soft cotton sheets. The rest of the room is unlike the remainder of the apartment. The furniture here is distinctly Amaurotine in design - similar but not quite the same as those from Hades's flat back in Achora Heights. The glow which had been streaming through reveals itself in the form of an expansive picture window, but what should be the grounds at Satori Hills and the Epiphany skyline instead show glimpses of another city altogether with its familiar spires and orderly lanes lined with wisteria trees. The scene melds almost artfully with the pots of purple flowers and draping ivy that occupy the balcony outside. For a mercy, perhaps, there are no signs of people - either real or illusory - simply this rose-tinted backdrop from their past.]
[He lets his fingers slide from Hythlodaeus's grasp, shifting to wrap his arms loosely around his companion's waist as he draws him back in before he can drift too far ahead.]
[As far as Hythlodaeus is concerned, having been bereft of any form of physical contact - much less intimacy of a romantic sort - for twelve thousand years, he's being outrageously patient. He doesn't want to rush, he wants to savour every moment that he can, but his thoughts scatter the moment he lightly tugs Hades through that door and turns around.
And he knows this room. That view. His breath catches in his throat as he takes it all in with wide eyes.]
Oh...
[Caught in Hades' arms he stands transfixed, and just for a moment seems lost. Of course Hades would have something like this, sentimental as he is, but the most idle consideration had not prepared Hythlodaeus for the reality of seeing his home spread out before him.
He shakes it off, drawing his mind back to the present and the warm firmness of the body behind him. He tilts his head back against Emet-Selch's shoulder and presses a kiss against his cheek.]
You might have warned me. [Little more than a gentle reproach as he carefully turns in the other man's arms and drapes his own about his shoulders, playing with a lock of his pale hair.] How strange to be attired thus in such surroundings...
[They would have never. Hythlodaeus feels almost out of place in the light colours and layered fabric of his preferred clothing and he lightly toys with the collar of Hades' shirt as a smile returns to his expression.]
Yet there is no view so stunning as the one before me. [He says then, leaning in to brush a barely-there kiss to his lips.] Given the performance is mine, I trust you will be allowing me to lead..?
[Oh, how his eyes twinkle as he says that.]
Sit down for me, my love. Allow me the indulgence of taking care of you.
[He lets his hands wander idly without any particular plan or intention as he presses into Hythlodaeus's back while he takes in the sight. All innocent, mostly, though it's clear from the light pressure of his fingers that Hades is seeking out the form beneath the clothes rather than the texture of the fabric itself. Like this, he can breath in the subtle, sweet scent of his hair even if he can't see his expression from this angle.]
And ruin the surprise? [He murmurs next to his ear, laying a kiss along the back of his neck.] I did mention that I had made suitable preparations, I think. Consider it my attempt at setting a romantic ambiance.
[His hold upon him loosens as Hythlodaeus turns and settles again facing him, and this time when his arms slip around his waist, he squeezes ever so gently.]
And you needn't find it so strange. Express yourself as you see fit, Idas. After all, you won't be needing these for terribly much longer if my hunch is correct.
[His eyelids droop again, watching him, as Idas toys with the feathery down of his hair, the flecks in his eyes shifting and sparking of their own accord.]
['Allowing'! And oh, his natural reaction is to grumble and make it seem as though he doesn't want this just as much as Idas does. After all, how often has he ever agreed to anything without putting up some manner of fuss? The man sighs, scowling back at those mirthful eyes, even as his breast fairly flutters with anticipation and the same sort of eagerness Idas must surely feel himself.]
For now, maybe. But don't think I won't take up the reins again should you let your attention waver.
[Not that it will. Not with the way Idas continues to humor him with light touches and tiny token kisses so that he finds himself wishing for them with more and more regularity. Having said as much, Hades reluctantly releases the other man, sauntering over to sit on the edge of the bed as if it had been his idea from the start, his arms folded in his lap as he looks up at his would-be lover expectantly. Will-be lover, rather.]
[Hythlodaeus hums softly. He's putting up a good front - this is hardly his first time bedding someone - but the pit of his stomach flutters with nervous anticipation as he can only hope that after so long a wait his performance is not in any way a disappointment.
Hades sits, suddenly appearing so prim and proper that it makes Hythlodaeus giggle, and he moves over to the other man to cup his jawline with both hands. He leans down to kiss him, first light and then pressing in more deeply as he urges his soon-to-be lover up along the bed and then onto his back, where he leans over him and slides one knee up between his thighs.
Their surroundings only become all the more striking under such conditions. He could fool himself that they were home again, that he had not waited so long after all, that...
He sits up to shrug a layer off. His light jacket (not wanting to deprive Hades of undressing him in turn) before his fingers set to work sliding open each button of the other man's shirt. Once the fabric parts he presses a warm and lingering kiss to the centre of Hades' chest and lingers there a moment to listen to his heart beating.
Surely the most beautiful sound he has ever heard... Yet that opinion still has time to be amended tonight.
His lips quickly find Hades' again, all that warming passion in the kiss while he gently pins one of the man's hands just above his head and slowly, almost experimentally rolls his thigh down against Hades' groin.]
Will you tell me what you like? [He asks softly, barely parting from him for the words.] Or am I to be granted the pleasure of trying things until I find out?
[Would Hades even have the patience for that? Would Hythlodaeus? He can already feel his skin burning under his clothes.]
[In what way could such a thing ever be a disappointment? Emet-Selch has bedded individuals he liked well enough and those he has actively hated, them and so many others who found themselves in his bed out of necessity and not for pleasure at all. A hollow thing, all according to plan; all for the Ardor. But he has never made love to Hythlodaeus - to Idas - before, and in his private opinion that makes all the difference. Such activities then become new and exciting in the face of genuine emotion, and it certainly gives him a worthy incentive to not throw a wrench into it all.]
[He's starting to get used to this - the feel of fingers against his jaw, the taste of his friend's lips - more forceful and confident this time as he's corralled further up the bed and then pressed into the mattress as if he belongs there. And truly, it isn't the worst of places to be. Already he can feel the growing interest between his legs, the heat rising low in his stomach as Idas leans over him, that knee hovering oh-so-dangerously close.]
[It's almost a relief when his shirt is negotiated open, when cool air caresses his exposed skin just moments before Idas settles in close. There isn't much of note to look at, he thinks, other than the jagged lines of a pale white starburst that extends from the bottom of his pectoral muscles to just above his navel. It isn't a scar really, simply an impressionof one. And if Hades shivers slightly, it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with the warm breath ghosting over his chest and the way his heart thunders like a storm raging in the distance.]
[Hades snorts quietly, and for his part he's behaving - mostly, laid out upon the bed as he is, his one free arm propped up beneath him so that he's afforded some manner of participation in the proceedings (or at least a decent view). He flexes the hand pinned above his head with a grunt of annoyance, his effort to free it half-hearted at best, though certainly better than nothing.]
[What he does see to is that the interruption is brief, his mouth reclaiming Idas with a slowly mounting hunger the moment his question is finished. After all, Idas isn't the only one falling victim to the flames, and he is not about to simply lay down and twiddle his thumbs - not that he could do so in the first place.]
And ruin all the fun? [He huffs, the only indication that he's affected at all present in the color that slowly creeps along his ears and neck.] I can't imagine you'd be so quick to turn down the challenge, let alone a more hands-on approach.
[The hint is there, if he wishes it, and if that isn't enough, Hades shifts so that his back is flat against the sheets, freeing his arm to rest a hand against Hythlodaeus's leg, nudging it slightly to one side and exactly one ilm forward in case he'd like to keep trying.]
[Though he has confidence that this is what they both want, his certainty that he can do right by Hades - or be the kind of lover that he desires and perhaps expects - is not quite so strong. Still, that isn't going to stop him. Not when he has waited for so long to get himself into this position. He pushes those worries aside and focuses on their mutual enjoyment of this.]
You might soften your tone a fraction, you know. [He chides gently, fondly, as if he does not expect anything of the sort. Still, it might be nice if he did not have to pry it out of him.] Though you are right. I've been thinking about getting my hands on you all evening.
[Something that he had made entirely obvious in the words he had murmured so mischievously into Hades' ear.
He slides his leg that single ilm forwards along with that subtle, nudging direction, an amused smile on his face as he follows Hades' unspoken instruction. A sigh breathes out of him as he uses the new position to slowly roll down against the other man again, catching his mouth in another kiss as his fingertips trace the outline of the pale starbust mark on his chest.]
Trying things it is, then.
[Since he's going to be so stubborn about it. Hythlodaeus really shouldn't have expected anything else.
The rolling pressure of his thigh is replaced by his hand as he traces the shape of Hades' cock in his pants. His breathing shivers in excited anticipation. He doesn't want to rush but already feels that they are both wearing far, far too many clothes.]
But first... everything needs to come off. I trust you'll be obliging in that, at least?
[Hades presses, his gaze following Hythlodaeus as he readjusts his position, watching to see how he responds to his words, weighing his sighs and his smiles against the requests he's seen fit to utter aloud. Or the words he'd whispered to him earlier - perhaps that's why his ears still feel warm.]
Some would call it "experimentation", you know.
[Better, he thinks, as he affords his friend a little more room to work, as he buries his fingers in Hythlodaeus's hair, shivering in response to that feather-light touch and choosing to focus instead on the warmth of his mouth and the building need trapped beneath far too many layers of fabric. It isn't until Hythlodaeus decides to take matters into his own hands - quite literally, in fact - that Hades' breathing genuinely stutters, his hips jerking upwards in a way that is mostly restrained but also clearly unplanned.]
[Hythlodaeus will find him half-hard already. Stubborn as he is, there is promise beneath that touch even as Hades insists on maintaining much of his usually grouchy facade.]
[Even so, he can count the few times he's heard of a better suggestion than this.]
Whilst I do agree, surely some manner of negotiation is in order. Perhaps a fraction of the sweet-talking you so desire, in exchange for the use of my arm? Even now the wretched thing is falling asleep, and what will we do later if I've an honest need of it, hm?
[He attempts to waggle it, allowing his fingers to flop about in unison as if to illustrate his point. After a moment, and with a mild shrug, Hades appears to grow more serious, toying with the loose ends of Hythlodaeus's hair with his other - unhindered and yet free.]
"I want to undress you" was the first thing you said, after all. Meaning it's a crucial step in what we wish to accomplish tonight.
Oh, he likes that. He very much likes the way he feels Hades' body jolt under his hand, but he bites his lip and doesn't draw too much attention to it save to add another teasing roll of his palm.]
A little sweet talking for the use of an entire arm? That seems an entirely unbalanced trade. [Hythlodaeus smiles, mischievous, but Hades has a point. He did want very much to undress him and and he fully intends to follow through with that particular desire regardless of how sweetly the other man speaks to him.
With a puff of air that seems to speak of amused resignation, Hythlodaeus frees Hades' hand and pushes himself up, shifting position so he's lightly straddling the man's thighs. The brazenness of the position does give him cause to colour slightly but he's still smiling as traces a fingertip over Hades' pale chest, stroking it along the edge of the mark that spans down across his stomach.]
You are a lovely sight, you know. [He murmurs. There's something soft in it - warm and fond all at once - as his eyes shift over the image laid out before him. Hythlodaeus never really made a secret of the fact he found Hades to be handsome though all comments towards it were always made in some kind of jest, but he's sure he has never found the other to be quite so stunning as he looks right now.] But if you must know... no, not just this evening. Several other evenings as well, in fact. Mornings and afternoons, and the occasional night.
[No harm in fluffing his ego a little, is there.
Hythlodaeus' nimble fingers go to his belt, the button of his trousers, easily unbuckling and unbuttoning.]
I expect that the reality will be far more satisfying than anything my imagination might conjure up.
[Hades, too, refrains from drawing any attention to it, and yet a keen ear might pick up a slight quiver when the man next draws breath.]
...ha! You think it unbalanced? Honeyed words and a silver tongue do not come freely, and I highly suspect you will be changing your tune once I've had sufficient opportunity to make the most of our trade.
[Not that he possesses a chance to make good on that declaration at the moment. Before he can do much of anything at all, Hythlodaeus has moved to perch astride him, and Hades can think of few places he would rather the other man be. Oh, if he were to only shift closer to him, he would see about ridding Hythlodaeus of his garments immediately. Instead, his eyes hold a challenge, and Hades compromises by running his hands up Hythlodaeus's legs to rest atop his knees.]
...though I may be in the process of revising my own thoughts.
[Spoken lightly, with a dismissiveness that should make clear that said thoughts do not entail changing his mind by any means. He pets at him fondly, his gaze trained upon Hythlodaeus's face with bright interest - at least until said "ego-fluffing" begins to take place.]
Thus sayeth the wisteria blossom. Did we not agree to keep the teasing to a minimum? I can only accept so many compliments in a single sitting, you know.
[A quiet huff follows, Hades leaning his head to one side, still watching him. He makes no move to bar Hythlodaeus's path, nor to halt him with his words.]
Were you to ask me, I would tell you that nights are most conducive to dreaming.
[A half-hearted grumble follows, and although Hades doesn't seem nervous by any definition of the word, he does perhaps appear mildly embarrassed.]
And I would also remind you that appearance is not an indicator of performance.
[Not that he has anything at all to be worried about, truly. Little way to hide his arousal now.]
And yet Hythlodaeus finds himself so incredibly buoyed by the familiarity of it. The situation they are in right now is a strange one in all respects and yet... the man continues to be so irrepressibly himself. All sharp words and grumbling that Hythlodaeus now, as he ever did, sees right through for the bluster that it is. He has always known just how far he can push his friend.
Though, he thinks he might be coming to the end of the other man's patience.]
Hah...
[It's his own performance that is a concern and his own arousal is not well-hidden either, having peaked even further at the very evident pressure of Hades' cock under his ass. Hythlodaeus swallows once, shaking his head in faint amusement as he continues to hold back the tide of his own nerves. This is not the time to allow it to get the better of him.]
I don't find myself with any concerns about your performance. [Do allow him to admire the aesthetics for a moment!] But...
[His gaze wavers for a moment. His fingertips linger at the lowermost point of the scar on Hades' chest before he looks up again, something faintly imploring in his expression.]
I confess to being somewhat out of practice myself, and I may have somewhat overshot my level of confidence. [The smile that comes next is small and semi-awkward.] I don't suppose you'd be opposed to thoroughly ravishing me.
[This isn't quite the sort of confession Hades was expecting, and it shows in the way his eyes widen in pure, uninhibited bafflement. An unguarded expression that makes plain he had assumed Hythlodaeus had some manner of plan in motion, and that things had been proceeding accordingly.]
[He doesn't seem angry, however. Nor disappointed. And it's only some seconds into his quiet staring that Hades's expression smooths out, his eyes slipping shut for a breath before he opens them again, his hands smoothing once more over Hythlodaeus's thighs. He shuffles his shoulders so that he's propped more becomingly against the pillows, ready to draw himself up into a half-reclining position if needed.]
[Finally, he nods.]
Very well, then. If you should first like to finish freeing me of these restrictive trappings, I shall take the lead - for now.
Though I will not promise a thorough ravishing just yet. After all, what sport is there in wearing you out from the onset when our dance has only begun?
[Hades reaches up, the back of his hand glancing gently against Hythlodaeus's cheek, his expression turning soft and reassuring.]
Relax, love. Simply let yourself feel and respond in the way that is most natural to you.
[There had been a plan, at first, with Hythlodaeus so boldly ready to carry it out, but the reality of everything he wanted to do quickly outstripped his confidence in doing it and thus he had been led here, to needing those comforting words of encouragement and all but soaking them in as he meets those glowing golden eyes with his own gaze.
He tilts his head towards that soft brush against his cheek and allows himself to relax, releasing a tension he hadn't realised was gathering in his shoulders.]
... All right.
[If that is to be the way of it. Hythlodaeus smiles and leans down to catch the other man's lips in a warm and lingering kiss.]
When you put it like that, how can I do anything else?
[Another quick kiss follows, like a punctuation mark, and Hythlodaeus sets to work divesting Hades of his clothing. He takes his time, though not so much as to further test either of their patience, and plants the occasional kiss to the skin he lays bare.
The curve of his neck. A shoulder. His chest and stomach, trailing down to his navel where Hythlodaeus pauses to mark him with a gentle nip of teeth.
Shirt and shoes are pitched over the side of the bed. The trousers are next and Hythlodaeus' lips find the inside of Hades' thigh, a smile pressed into the warm skin and firm muscle before he sits up.
He looks at the other man as one would a thing of wonder.
Magnificent.
Hythlodaeus pulls his own shirt off to give some relief from the way his skin feels as if it's burning. Under it he is surprisingly broad-shouldered, lithe and all slender, compact muscle. An archer's build, without a doubt. He shakes his hair free of its braid in almost the same movement.]
You've been terribly obliging. I feel rather spoiled.
[The mischief-maker tilts his head and smiles. His lilac eyes shine.]
But if you would consider yourself sufficiently unrestrained... [Fingertips on Hades' chest again, tripping over his ribs and pausing to teasingly roll around a nipple.] I want you to touch me.
[He has been rather obliging, hasn't he? Downright placid by his own standards, as he tolerates the disrobing, the copious number of pauses Hythlodaeus takes to lean down and bestow his bared skin with affection...]
[In fact, it isn't until Hythlodaeus's attention turns into the barest scrape of teeth that Hades bites back a gasp, trembling as he yet attempts to keep himself in check. By the time his slacks are cast aside, well, it's all he can do not to squirm beneath the warm press of Hythlodaeus's mouth. He lays there too clear-headed to be feverish, yet smoldering all the same, his desire - everything - made so plain that perhaps it should feel obscene.]
[Yet he cannot think too much upon that, for he lifts his eyes in time to watch as Hythlodaeus removes his own shirt, as his braid shakes loose to cascade down his shoulders in waves.]
[Hythlodaeus has always been beautiful. Like this, however, he's certain the very sight could rend weaker hearts in twain. By the star, it's infuriating. Who, precisely, is the ravishing one now, hm?]
[Hades looks pointedly away, feeling his ears once again flushing hot. He would like very much to feign some manner of self-restraint, and yet his mutinous cock chooses this precise moment to twitch in interest. It doesn't help that those clever fingers should choose to wander again, their teasing finally causing that restraint to snap in the form of a muffled whine.]
[Hades glowers up at him, his pupils all but consumed by the fire-bright emotion flickering in his narrowed gaze, his chest heaves, and then Hades is grasping carefully but firmly at his friend's wrists, shifting his weight so that he might gain enough leverage to roll Hythlodaeus to one side next to him.]
Yes, because you've made absolutely certain of that, haven't you?
Honestly. [He huffs, his hands sweeping lightly over his lover's torso before going immediately to the next set of buttons barring his path, intent on divesting Hythlodaeus of what remains of his clothing.]
You'll be lucky if I can recall how to keep my hands to myself ever again.
[In all his days he would have never thought himself so lucky as to see Hades in such a state. Oh, he had thought about it, many a time while imagining a day when the other man might show that kind of interest in him. Always somehow missing the obvious when it came to that.
He would not brush aside the fact that it is him and what he has been doing that has reduced Hades to this. In fact, he delights in the reality of it, lightly biting on his lower lip as he notes that twitch and considers doing something about it, only for the low whine that follows to send a shock of arousal through him so potent that it almost robs him of breath.
There is no resistance from him when he's taken hold of and moved. He giggles warmly, stretching out beneath Hades' attention while the other works to unfasten his clothing, and lets one arm rest by his head while the other toys with Hades' hair.]
You have only yourself to blame for being so diligent in firing my courage. [He says playfully, lifting his hips to make the removal of his trousers easier.] And if I should like you to have your hands on me as often as possible, what then?
[Gently, he curls his fingers against the back of his friend's ear, as if he might try to tug him into kiss him. He doesn't follow through with it, though, leaving Hades to make the decision of where he will go next.]
I would have you make every inch of me yours, as I have long desired.
[That delighted tittering earns the beginnings of a lopsided smile as Hades shifts over him, pleased to see his friend making himself comfortable already. It does wonders for his own confidence - not that he needs any further encouragement.]
"Diligent", he says. All I did was speak the truth. How you chose to interpret those words was hardly my doing.
As if I would leave you to fumble about in a cloud of uncertainty.
[He slides the pants off of him with Hythlodaeus's assistance, pausing to admire the effect he's had on him - more obvious than ever there beneath his undergarments. He feels breathless, but he continues, hooking his fingers into the waistband and peeling those off of him as well.]
Then we are in for a great deal of trouble. Fortunately my intentions for you are not limited to the pursuit of pleasure. We'll have plenty of moments in between to indulge in the sentimental journey together. Doing "couple" things, catching up, learning how to effectively irritate one another.
And. Our practice won't be changing. Unless, of course, you are up for the challenge of making music whilst half of your fingers are preoccupied.
[Hades's gaze returns to his face, and this time his smile is less restrained. He smooths Hythlodaeus's hair back behind his shoulders.]
Worry not. I'll leave you be so that you might catch your breath on occasion, so that you might have time to look back and think of our time together and daydream about me touching you again.
[Hades decides not to take the hint of those fingers behind his ear. But he does decide to use his mouth, his lips brushing the sensitive skin of Hythlodaeus's long neck before he shifts lower to nibble at the junction where neck meets shoulder- gentle at first, and then a bit more sharply as his fingers skate down the lines of his chest, and lower still to tease the underside of his arousal.]
[Hades murmurs against his skin, tracing his collarbone with his mouth.]
Shall I make it so that every mote of your aether yearns for me?
[The lower half of Hythlodaeus' body is no less toned than the rest of him, the lithe muscles of his thighs shifting as he's finally laid entirely bare until Hades' gaze. It's his turn to blush now, the flush of colour working its way down his cheekbones from his ears, and he feels so giddy and excited that he can barely contain it.
The things that smile does to him should be against some kind of law. Hades is such a handsome man and even more so with such a look on his face - it's all Hythlodaeus can do to not flip them again and kiss him until he can barely breathe. Behaving himself takes an effort and he curls his fingers against the pillow by his head as his breathing trembles on an inhale.]
And here I thought I had known you long enough that I had already reached the pinnacle of knowledge in how to irritate you.
[That he could find ways to annoy Hades more than he is already capable of is an interesting thought, though one quickly swept away by the man's teeth nipping against his skin and that wickedly clever hand—]
Oh, please... [Hythlodaeus gasps, his hips twitching up to that teasing touch. His brow furrows, fingers clenched into fabric while the other grips against Hades' back.
He had not realised how tightly wound he already was until that one touch threatened to shatter him.]
[And herein lies a truth that belies Hythlodaeus's protests. One does not simply come by such a physique through no effort of his own. Bearing witness to him thus feels like a gift, and he suspects he will quite enjoy carrying out Hythlodaeus's instructions to make every ilm of him his own. Rather than pull away, Hades humors him by wrapping his fingers more securely around his length, allowing his thumb to brush with warm purpose over the head. He dips his head lower, tracing a path down the center of Hythlodaeus's chest to press a chaste kiss over his heart. Hades's lips turn upwards into a smirk, as he gazes up at him.]
Should I not? You did mention that you're somewhat out of practice. With that in mind, I can hardly be faulted for helping. And, I confess, I am having a great deal of "fun" now that the tables have been turned and I am the one who is teasing you.
[He shifts closer, his hand beginning to work in earnest - careful but deliberate. He presses another kiss to the center of his abdomen, the smug gleam in his eyes turning more serious.]
Would you have me bring you to your conclusion this way? Or perhaps you will hold out until I have taken you properly.
[Hythlodaeus responds immediately and altogether instinctively, it seems, to the additional attention by arching his back slightly and pressing his shoulders into the bed. The trail of kisses feels like fire down the centre of his chest and he answers that damnably handsome smirk with a quiet whine.]
You're terrible. [He half-protests, then curling his toes as the stroking begins in earnest and he feels sparks fly across his nerves. It has been a while, even the twelve thousand years a shade notwithstanding, and he has wanted Hades so much for so long--]
Ngh-- [Is all he can manage for a moment. He takes a few steady breaths to gather up enough stray thoughts that he might say something at least halfway coherent. He reaches down to lightly pet Hades' hair.]
Why make such a difficult choice when I have stamina enough for both? [He twitches his hips up into the man's hand, puffing out a sharp breath. As it stands he doubts he would make it through the preparation in any case, and he thinks Hades deserves to enjoy himself to the fullest as well.] Please, my love. I need you.
[He agrees, allowing his voice to trail off into silence, lost beneath the sound of Hythlodaeus's protest and his attempts to steady his breathing. But he did agree that he wouldn't tease him too much and thus... does Hades change position again, retrieving - as promptly as he can - something that will make this more comfortable for them both. His hand retreats but a moment, and when it returns he uses it not only to work against Hythlodaeus, but to guide his own cock hot and heavy against his, providing Hythlodaeus with what he can only hope is more than ample friction. He leans down to lay another kiss over his heart, reverent despite his words.]
Such determination.
[Well then. He supposes they shall both see if Hythlodaeus can put his words to proof. He presses his lips against his bared chest once more as he shifts against him, speaking quietly - as if a private aside is truly necessary when they are the only two here, in this room.]
Let me hear you, then, my Idas. You will have as much of me as you require until I have wrung every onze of passion from your body. [He pauses to bite back a groan, willing the sensation not to take hold of him just yet.] Does that please you?
[If he's going to be greedy about it, he will certainly provide as much as Hythlodaeus can take - provided he doesn't exhaust himself first.]
[Hythlodaeus' approval of the change in position is given clearly enough in how his breath catches again, in the softly whining moan that stirs up in the back of his throat, in how his fingertips dig bluntly against Hades' shoulder while his other hand curls into the sheets. He can barely take his eyes off the other man's but there's an odd sort of urgency in his gaze, as if he fears that should he break away even for a moment something might be lost.
Perhaps that he might be lost.]
Hades...
[He rocks himself up into the other man's grip, biting his own lip to hold in another sound as a shudder of pleasure runs through him from head to foot. As delightful as the idea of taking control of Hades had been he cannot help but find a delerious kind of satisfaction in this turn of events.]
I think-- Nnh... I think... there is little you could do that would not please me.
[Stars, but that extra heat and friction against his cock is almost maddening. He gulps in another breath that turns into a shivering, shaking moan, his hand curling so his fingernails dent into Hades' skin.
He whines the other man's name again, softly, and how funny it is that he could be so unused to this now. Hythlodaeus is no stranger to his own body nor to having other's hands and lips upon it, so how is it that Hades can make it all seem so very new? He gives the shoulder under his vice-grip a little tug, trying to pull his lover up for a kiss.]
Mmn--... you're so good, my Hades... [A quick breath puffs out of him.] Do be sure not to neglect your own pleasure, won't you..?
[Hades has found their rhythm now, matching the earnest rocking of Hythlodaeus's hips with the motions of his hand and the slide of his own length accompanying his. He tries to lose himself within it, less focused on precision and calculations, and instead lets himself bask for a moment in this space where his beloved is repeating his name with slowly growing urgency. Where the digging of Hythlodaeus's fingers into his shoulder stokes the primal fire within him. Where such gentle, loving praise is very nearly enough to consume his sense of reason, make him descend upon the other man with ferocious ardor. If this is "good", then what words would Hythlodaeus use to describe such an act? Would he even be capable of words?]
[Hades groans deeply, his eyes simultaneously dark and dazzling with a kaleidoscope of color; he quickens his pace. And when the pressure at his shoulder at last becomes almost too much to bear, he impatiently surges forward to claim Hythlodaeus's mouth again, sloppy and nearly breathless.]
You were right. I can think of of none better suited-- to play that music for me.
[If it went something like this, he could listen to it a thousand, thousand times.]
[Close to begging Hades to kiss him - please, before he loses control of his voice - Hythlodaeus' relief when his prompting is finally taken is barely short of tangible. He wraps his arm around Hades' shoulders as their lips all but crash together, parted and messy and leaving Hythlodaeus chasing after it when Hades pulls away to speak.
He will have less speaking, he thinks, though he has barely had the chance to pull his lover in for another kiss before his toes are curling, his body stiffening as a noisy groan spills out of him, and he has to break away to cry out softly as he vainly battles his impending orgasm.
The pleasure being lavished on him won't be denied. Hythlodaeus feels his body grow hot, everything reduced to the points of contact between he and Hades, and he moans again with a reedy whine of the other man's name as teeth dig against his shoulder and Hythlodaeus tries to muffle his moans as he climaxes.
His hips twitch and shake, pleasure fizzing along his nerves as he unabashedly makes a mess of himself. It feels like time stretches out, but finally he collapses limply against the bed and gasps in a few breaths.]
Oh—
[Hythlodaeus says, and that is all there is to say for a moment while he cards his fingers through Hades' hair.]
[Hythlodaeus is supremely breathtaking like this - both figuratively and quite literally, his desperation all but contagious. Impossible not to lean in closer when that arm clings around his shoulders, impossible not to grind all the more deeply against him, the tempo of those fingers growing faster, yet more erratic.]
[It's instinctual; all of the pomp and bluster fairly spent, so that when Hythlodaeus moves to drag him down into another kiss, Hades is prepared to acquiesce - and with fervor. And yet it is not meant to be, for no sooner do they collide again, than he feels the change in Hythlodaeus, the way he grows rigid beneath him, punctuated by a heated crescendo.]
[For a split second, he thinks, perhaps he will not finish like this. Perhaps he will simply find his pleasure in watching his lover reach a natural conclusion, spent and dishelved and achingly radiant. And yet he finds he is wrong. That stinging pain at his shoulder, the throaty cry Hythlodaeus tries to bury into his skin, and the warm seed spilling between his fingertips proves more than enough to cast him over the precipice after him. His body jerks, a low moan the only warning before Hades follows suit, making a mess of them both before slumping forward, his arm quivering in its valiant effort to keep him propped up, rather than collapsed into a heap.]
[Hades pants above him, and 'tis true, Hythlodaeus himself is a sight. Yet it's one he thinks he could easily grow used to, one which beneath it all makes clear thar someone is wholly pleased and content with himself.]
[Words fail him this time, little more than a croak as he bows his head into the attention, waiting until he feels Hythlodaeus grow soft in his grasp before pulling his hand away.]
This is only a prelude...as you will recall.
[He slumps further, hesitating to make use of his other hand to brush the stray wisps from Hythlodaeus's face and finally thinking better of it.]
You very much look the part of the world's most exquisite disaster. Though I can scarce describe the things that does to me...
[Though hardly the most world-rocking orgasm Hythlodaeus has ever had, he's quite sure he would not have traded off the experience for anything. Having those familiar hands on him in such new ways and knowing that it was all for him, that Hades was focused so fully on pleasing him, fills an all-too-ancient want that he has carried since long before his sacrifice to Zodiark.
He hums softly, half agreement and half satisfaction, and he lets the afterglow of it all sink into him with not another care in his head.]
Lost for words, with all of your eloquence..? [Hythlodaeus chuckles and curls a lock of white hair around his fingers, pecking a light kiss to Hades' lips.] A sight I shall be committing to memory, I think.
[As sense slowly creeps back into his boneless limbs he stretches and sighs, curling one arm over his head while the other continues to toy with the other man's hair.]
But, if you will permit me... [Carefully, he pushes himself up onto his elbows, and he coaxes Hades to turn until he's on his back again.] I believe I can offer you some momentary reprieve to gather your senses. [There is a quiet, wry confidence in his eyes that had been harder to see before as he stretches himself out alongside his lover, hooking one leg loosely over him and planting a few kisses to his face.
Nimble fingers trace along the curve of his neck, the faint dent of the bite left in his shoulder, the sweep of a rib... Hythlodaeus hums again, entirely besotted, and his lips follow the trail of his fingertips over passion-warmed skin as he teases back and forth against a nipple with the pad of his thumb.
Allowing Hades to gather any kind of sense is clearly not what is on Hythlodaeus' mind at all.]
[Hades seems too exhausted to answer, his only response in the twitch of his mouth. Neither a frown nor a smirk - yet one smoothed out soon enough by the brush of Hythlodaeus's lips, which seems consolation enough for him to forgive such smugness.]
[It becomes clear, however, that Hades won't be able to keep himself aloft forever. There's a mild grunt of protest, but when he is negotiated onto his back once more, Hades goes willingly, his breathing deep and irregular like broken waves as he comes back down to earth once more, letting his limbs stretch out where they will. His eyes still hold a vacant if dazzling hue, the blacks of his pupils entirely swallowed up by bright rings of color and a rustling beneath him indicates that he has lost control of the glamour that typically obscures his wings from view, although he seems too overwhelmed to pay them any mind.]
[For a time.]
[Only for a time.]
What reprieve?
[Hades at last puffs out, the inquiry ending on a whine as he tries in vain to squirm away from Hythlodaeus's clever fingers. It is much too soon for that! To think that even now he's denied a moment's rest...!]
[Yet he cannot be too sorry about it. Hythlodaeus seems incredibly smug in the moment, and if this persists, it can only bode well for the future. Oh, but if only he would allow him to gather his words. He still feels overheated and shivery and far too sensitive to bear this sort of attention, much less gather up more than the leftover dregs of a complaint with which to defend himself.]
Here I thought you were helping, but in truth you're being positively wicked. Insatiable creature... taking advantage when I'm vulnerable...
[His eyes do look captivating like this, but Hythlodaeus does not mention them just in case Hades takes that as an indication to try and get them under control.]
Did you expect anything else of me, my love? [The tone of his voice is unmistakably mischievous as he nips his teeth lightly against Hades' chest before lifting his head, looking at him for a moment in his delightfully wrecked state. And Hythlodaeus was the one looking the part of an exquisite disaster..? Hades can have no idea how stunning he is.]
You know that I will stop if you ask. [He does not expect Hades to ask. At least, not to mean it if he does.
The rustling and appearance of those wings of his does not go unnoticed either. Hythlodaeus shifts, strokes his fingers over the shifting feathers and then smooths his palm over the delicate bone supporting the structure.]
[A shake of his head. Nay, he would expect no less after what they've revealed to one another. He makes no attempt to bid him "stop", although the scrape of teeth does have him letting out another hissing breath - though he doesn't so much as flinch this time.]
[Hythlodaeus will find that these particular wings are nothing at all like Hades's true form, these instead being all soft, downy feathers, free of any sharp angles or pointed edges. The color seems to shift in the light, purest black in shadow and a pearlescent gradient of golds and violets when the illusory sunbeams strike upon them just right. They quiver beneath Hythlodaeus's touch, and Hades sucks in another breath, trying (in vain) to drag himself a little further beyond arm's reach. His skin flushes pink. Just as sensitive as the rest of him, apparently.]
If you're going to admire me, at least be tidy about it.
[For they are still, indeed, a mess. Hades swipes an arm over his forehead, damp with perspiration, and tries again to collect himself. He would comment upon Hythlodaeus's newfound appetite, but there is something thrilling (if a touch scandalous) in the thought of Hythlodaeus wanting to place his mark upon him again and again.]
Tidy about it? [Hythlodaeus laughs merrily as he half sits up, leaning his weight against the heel of his hand and looking down at the other man in open admiration.] It isn't a medical examination.
[Oh, Hades. His expression softens and he drops back to his elbow again, leaning in to capture another kiss while his free hand roams over that flushed and sweat-damp chest. They are indeed still a mess but he cares very little about that when he's planning to be even more of a mess before the evening is out.
He sees the signs of Hades trying to pull himself back together all too easily and smiles against his lips while that wickedly roaming hand slips teasingly between his legs, coming to rest against the tender skin of his inner thigh. There's nothing else but the promise of what he might do next as he lets the touch linger.]
I want to take you. [Hythlodaeus says then, quietly, leaning in to kiss against his shoulder.] May I?
[He cannot help but wonder how his name might sound cried out on Hades' lips. His body shivers with the thought of it, and though he does not plan to rush them to another climax too quickly... he cannot help his rapidly returning eagerness.]
What, then? You like being sticky? [He drolls, raising an eyebrow up at him. He would add more. "I shall make note of it for our future forays into the unknown," or some such. Yet before he can fully form said quip, Hythlodaeus is up to his mischief again. The kiss is tolerated - Hades seeming all too willing to allow his lips to part at the first sign of intrusion. Though what he wasn't expecting is the roaming hand that delves straight between his legs - dangerous and altogether sooner than he anticipated. Hades shudders, "harumphing" in protest as he draws his knees together - which, unfortunately, avails him little.]
Already? [He inquires hoarsely, nudging against Hythlodaeus's chest in a half-hearted sort of manner, one which ends with his palm simply resting there over his beating heart.] Why the rush?
[It isn't as if he's going anywhere, though he will admit he quite likes the sound of such a request. If he resists long enough, what might Hythlodaeus do to convince him? Will he beg for the honor?]
[Hades tries to shift and make himself more comfortable - difficult with the pair of wings trapped beneath his shoulders. He must look restless with the way he flexes his shoulders and leans to one side, his thighs digging against that hand a little.]
There's no rush at all. [Hythlodaeus assures him in a light tone, almost gentle with it as he takes in the sight of Hades squirming and shifting under him. It's... cute, he thinks fondly, giving the thigh under his palm an firm squeeze by way of admonishment for all this wriggling and protesting.] As for the stickiness... 't is hardly an obstacle, unless you have a pressing need to clean it up.
[His head tilts, and he smiles that mischievous smile of his.]
You should have no trouble with bringing forth a washcloth to tidy yourself to your satisfaction.
[Creation magic requiring clarity of thought and being somewhat of an exacting endeavour, Hythlodaeus knows well that his current activities are keeping Hades from being able to do just that very thing.
He does, though, briefly pass his gaze over the man's wings and a tiny frown of concern flickers over his face.]
Are you uncomfortable? Sit up if you must.
[He might like to get a better look at those wings if given the opportunity, in any case...]
[Well, he's afforded some clarity for the moment, and chooses to occupy this opportunity with his trademark grousing. Not enough focus to do as Hythlodaeus suggests without risking a mistake, but enough to speak coherently, at least.]
Gangly things, always getting in the way. Is it any wonder that one of my first orders of business was finding a means to glamour them away? Works most of the time. Though less so when... distracted.
[Huffing, he settles for rolling over onto his side towards Hythlodaeus, and this time the press of his legs around that questing hand is likely not an oversight - enough to meet admonishment with admonishment, yet not enough to cause either Hythlodaeus's hand, nor himself, unreasonable discomfort.]
Make me an offer and I will think about it. Since you are in no rush, apparently, and already seem to be having a marvelous time tormenting me. Were you aware that your eyes crinkle when you are up to no good?
[The movement prompts a little giggle as Hythlodaeus finds his hand comfortably caught between Hades' thighs and finally takes the hint to move it, placing his palm against the man's hip instead. His thumb strokes idly back and forth as if he might soothe away his grumpy lover's poor humour, such as it is.]
Do you need such a tell to see when I have a mind for mischief? [He challenges playfully as his hand slides up along the curve of Hades' hip and then lifts, his fingertips walking step by step against the other man's shoulder and then curling loosely into his hair as he pulls him in for another kiss.
The distraction of his lips on Hades' is used as an opportunity, of course, to press himself close and fit his body against his lover's, teasingly nudging his knee against the narrow gap between Hades' thighs. He is wicked, terrible, an insatiable little creature, and he knows it, but for all his teasing he isn't pushing things too far just yet.]
Make you an offer..? [He murmurs against Hades' lips, a small smile on his own as the kiss lingers.] Are you proposing a negotiation before you give any ground to my desires? [Another brief kiss brushes his lips between one breath and the next.] You do not seem to realise your current disadvantage.
[That is, that Hythlodaeus is miraculously more put together right now than Hades is managing to be, and that nimble hand of his is somehow managing to be everywhere. As he speaks the final word he trails his fingers down Hades' spine, between his shoulder blades and the places where wings meet skin, and he lightly bumps their foreheads together.]
And, I might say... you only have yourself to blame for my boldness.
Of course I don't, for when do you not have a mind for mischief? I was only wondering if you knew.
[He could share that he finds a certain charm in these expressions, but he will leave such sentimentalities unspoken, something for Hythlodaeus to pick apart at his leisure. Another impatient huff soon follows, though whether he likes it or no, Hades yet refrains from ordering Hythlodaeus to stop. The touches are playful, benign... mostly benign. And Hades has little to add when Hythlodaeus pulls him in for yet another kiss. He's still a little breathless, really - marked by the clumsy way he pulls back once or twice for air - yet when he returns, it is always with a sweetness that feels intentional - as if he is making a concerted effort to set his usual temper aside for his lover's sake.]
[Or would, if Hythlodaeus didn't continue to test it. Hades finds himself set upon again, a mild protest muffled against their joined lips, though this time he decides to be a little wicked back, making a point to shift forward just enough so that he brushes himself pointedly against the intrusion of that knee. He's hardly as insatiable as his partner in this, but that doesn't mean he can't be coaxed to readiness again - with enough patience and persuasion.]
[It won't take much.]
[Hythlodaeus is warm, all soft skin and firm build. And really, who's to stop him if he allows his own hands to drift around his waist and up along the muscles of his back and shoulders. 'Tis only fair when Hythlodaeus himself is practically molded against him, as close as he can get. He shivers again, gasping as those fingers slip into the far-too-sensitive region where flesh becomes feathers, his wings fluttering quite against his will, stirring the air and causing shadows to scurry along the walls.]
[At last he breaks away again, panting silently. His eyes narrowed as he stares into that winsome face. 'Twill be difficult to negotiate at all - like this.]
I am not in the habit of blaming myself for a mutually desirable outcome. [Another thin beating of wings, and this time he attempts to stretch his shoulders into it without moving their faces apart by even an ilm.] But fine. Show me how you would do it, and then we shall see.
["Show me how you would take me," he does not clarify, but he continues watching him, as if to see what he plans to do next.]
[Hmm, and so they return to this... but by now Hythlodaeus feels far more prepared to take the other man up on his offer. Show him how he would do it, then? It is far more an invitation than it would appear, with Hythlodaeus planning on much more than a mere demonstration, and he smiles winsomely once again as he sits up a little.]
As you insist.
[Creation magic has never been entirely his forte but he can at least manage to procure the small bottle that appears in his hand with a small swirl of aether and pieced-together concentration. After all, 'tis hardly difficult to call to mind what he desires to appear in his instance.
With it tucked in hand he gently nudges the other man's legs apart and shifts to place himself between them, lowering his head to nip a small kiss to the inside of one of his thighs. It may end up being more than Hades has the patience for, but he did ask, and while the bottle's contents gradually warm against Hythlodaeus' palm he turns his attention to his partner's cock, lightly lapping his tongue along the length before taking the head into his mouth.
His eyes shine as he looks up, as if he's challenging Hades to not react. Show him how he would take him? Oh, but he plans to take him apart.]
[Hades could argue that he isn't insisting anything, but that winsome smile has him holding his tongue, eager to see what Hythlodaeus will choose to do next, though he tries his best not to show it. His breathing has evened out considerably, his face still mildly flushed with the remnants of satisfaction.]
[And so he watches and waits while Hythlodaeus weaves together loose strands of either into something small and tangible. He need not even ask what that tiny bottle contains for he can well imagine that they will find a use for it in short order.]
[Humoring him somewhat, Hades yields to the gentle direction. 'Tis been a great while since he last allowed himself to be so vulnerable, yet he tilts his knees further apart, spreading his thighs to allow Hythlodaeus just enough room to settle comfortably between them. His eyes are still bright pinpoints in the fading light, his body propped forward so that he can see over the slope of his own chest to Hythlodaeus leaning low over him.]
[The nip earns another strained hiss, soft but audible in the silence, yet before he can form a coherent objection, Hythlodaeus has made his move. He shouldn't be surprised, not really, however he wasn't expecting Hythlodaeus to immediately begin pleasuring him with his mouth. A few tantalizing swipes of the tongue is one thing, but before he knows it the head of his cock has vanished between his lover's soft, full lips, and Hythlodaeus is staring up at him in open, mirthful challenge.]
[It's not much of a challenge. Hades' fingertips dig in beneath him, twisting the bedsheets harshly as he struggles not to jolt right out of his own skin.]
[Oh, he might be able to endure the teasing explorations of a hand, or a naked body pressed against his own, but there is little which could have prepared him for the nigh perfect warmth of Hythlodaeus's mouth closing in around his cock. And this is only the beginning. If Hythlodaeus has his way, he realizes, he'll be nothing but mindless, desperate heap begging for more - and enjoying every moment of it, no doubt.]
[While he'd like to think himself far more controlled than this, there's no hiding the pitiful, plaintive whine that escapes him or the way he has to drag in another breath. A good thing his fingers are occupied, elsewise he's certain he'd be tangling them into Hythlodaeus's hair and coaxing him further down so he might revel in that delicious heat.]
[He could say how much he loves that Hades is so willingly giving himself to him like this, but it would definitely spoil the mood to have him huffing and puffing about it while Hythlodaeus is trying to make him feel good.
And quite successfully if the sounds he's already starting to make are anything to go by. The soft chuckle that he holds in the back of his throat rumbles lightly along the length in his mouth, and it's almost as if he's giving Hades a moment of privacy as he lowers his eyelids. A moment to collect himself. What a joke, when Hythlodaeus is doing what he's doing...
The whine that he hears goes straight to his cock. His hips twitch against the sheets, seeking relief in the friction, and he has to pull away to gasp in a lungful of air.]
Oh, you sound delicious... [His lips brush against Hades' cock as he speaks, his cheeks flushed and lips reddened with the effort he's already expended.] Shall I continue, or would you like me elsewhere?
[He just manages to complain before an even more unbecoming sound can pass his lips. Oh, what that good-humored chuckle does to him, when he's experiencing it in this way... Entirely novel. He'll have to make note of it for later.]
[While he's trying to behave himself, it's becoming more and more difficult with each passing moment, his hips shuddering with the urge to jerk up to meet that waiting mouth; far too eager.]
[And he hasn't quite forgotten the bottle, either. No doubt it's tucked quite warmly into Hythlodaeus's hand, his ace to be used at the most opportune moment. Though, he thinks, Hythlodaeus could better be expending that energy prying him open rather than grinding aimlessly into the sheets...]
[Hades at last reaches out with one hand to tangle his fingers into Hythlodaeus's hair, his gaze intent and surprisingly straightforward as he waits for Hythlodaeus to meet it.]
I want you. Anywhere, everywhere. So enough of your games. Either take me properly or give me your mouth.
[He lets out another of those warm, honeyed chuckles. Oh how swiftly he had managed to regain his confidence under Hades' gentle guidance... and now the man was reaping the consequences of his actions. Hythlodaeus' teasing is no longer born of indecision or uncertainty, but of a very simple need to see this man fall apart under his hands.]
Everywhere? I do have my limits, you know. [A small shake of his head, a smile, and with a deft movement he tips the warmed bottle in his hand to slick his fingers well out of sight of Hades' hungry gaze.]
I can but do my utmost to satisfy you.
[He sighs, lightly, then takes the length in front of him back into his mouth. At the same time, as the tip of his tongue presses warm, wet patterns against the underside of the man's cock, his two forefingers push deliberately up against Hades' ass.
Only one dips inside, testing before easing in deeper and crooking upwards.]
[ She arrives precisely on time sporting an oversized violet hoodie, jeans, and a large cross-body canvas bag resting at her hip.
Argos is, as usual, seemingly indifferent to what his young mistress is up to, and looks even more elegant than usual with the addition of some sky blue ribbons braided into his fur. ]
[Hythlodaeus, for his own part, is dressed in the style which he has developed for himself while he has been in this place. Though barefoot rather than wearing the boots he will usually put on to go outside, he's in his usual leggings and a loose, layered shirt-and-tshirt combination that shows off his collarbones. His customary side-braid is tied with a white ribbon.]
There you are. A pleasure to see you as always.
[He smiles brightly at her as he steps to one side to invite her in.]
I must admit you have my curiosity entirely piqued.
[ Era offers a small, friendly wave in greeting along with a bright smile, and even Argos gives a slight wag of his tail and dignified 'wuff' in acknowledgement. ]
I've made something I hope will be good enough for an archer of your outstanding skill. [ Given how little patience she has (read: none) for false flattery, Era refers to his skill in the same way one would that the sky is blue or the sun is hot.
Wasting no time, she reaches elbow-deep into her bag to pull out a large, elegant compound bow. It's made of light wood, warm metals, and accented with some of her scales polished to an iridescent shine. There are some carvings and engravings inlaid with aetheroconductive gold inks, all leading to a catalyst gem a particular shade of yellow Hythlodaeus is sure to be familiar with. ]
You can fully draw this bow using less force than a standard bow, and the geometries will increase both aether efficiency and efficacy if you channel magic through it.
[But he cannot hide the delight on his face at all when she produces what she brought for him. He takes the bow as one might lift a precious artifact and holds it in both hands, tilting it this way and that to admire the craftsmanship.
He certainly recognises that particular shade of amber-gold.
Hythlodaeus lifts the bow up and draws it slowly, his archers stance perfect despite his protestations about his skills (both then and now) and as he slackens the string again and lowers it down he lets out a soft whistle of appreciation.]
Says the man with the sharpest eyes in all of Etheirys.
[ She doesn't push any further, knowing with her own tendency to downplay herself she hardly has any room to speak. Instead, she observes him take his stance and draw the bow, letting out a pleased smile when seeing his appreciation of the gift. ]
It's a middling gift at best. [ Era teases. ] But if you feel the need to repay me you can lend me a hand with my garden.
[Ah, but he cannot deny that first assertion, and so he does not. Hythlodaeus only smiles wryly in that particular way of his and lets it be, polite enough to not continue to argue when being given a genuine compliment.]
With your garden?
[He looks at her in faint surprise. Hythlodaeus has, admittedly, never been an outdoorsy type and has certainly never dabbled in actual gardening. There are some of his people who insist upon such things (at least one or two in Elpis alone) but when one can simply create what they need...
The corners of his eyes pinch slightly as he smiles again.]
I'd be delighted, though you may need to teach me proper techniques. I'm not sure if it could be called a repayment on my part with that in mind.
[ She would have had to teach him some gardening regardless of if he had any prior knowledge, Era knows, since she's particular about the care of each individual plant rooted in her soil. Era also knows Hythlodaeus may see this as an unequal 'trade', despite the future benefits it would bring her that she cannot yet share with him.
Eyeing the man — her new new-old friend — holding the bow she crafted with him in mind, clearly beyond pleased with the gift but also feeling undeserving of it, Era takes a moment to consider how best to proceed. Eventually she comes to a realization she should have come to years ago: ]
I enjoy teaching others. [ It shouldn't surprise her as much as it does, given how delighted she was whenever her students understood what she taught them; that glint in their eyes when things finally clicked thanks to her guidance. ] I enjoy it almost as much as new adventures. An opportunity to teach you how to make new life flourish beneath your fingertips with tenderness and affection rather than aether...
[ Era considers it again, and decides it to be an unbalanced exchange. ]
For the bow you can assist me with my garden, and for my nameday gift you can let me teach you.
[He looks around for a moment and then places the bow down carefully, leaning it into a corner between a bookcase and a wall. His arms fold loosely as he looks down at her, giving exaggerated consideration to the offer that she made him, then he chuckles lightly.]
That sounds like a fair enough trade.
[And a fair enough gift if that is truly what she wants of him.]
Very well, my little dragonet. That is what we shall do. I shall look forward to being under your tutelage.
[ She hides a small giggle behind her hand as he exaggerates his body language. He seems so earnestly... content? At least that's how it seems to her. And after all the horrors she knows Hythlodaeus has gone through (or will go through), it makes her happy. This world may be more a gilded prison to her than anything else, but for people like Hythlodaeus, Emet-Selch, and even Elidibus it's an opportunity for healing they otherwise wouldn't have.
He calls her 'little dragonet', and today it gives her pause. Era tilts her head slightly to the side, staring at nothing for a moment as she ponders. It doesn't take long for her to shift her gaze upward, shyly peeking at him from under her lashes. ]
Era.
[ Her voice is firm; confident. Though the way she quickly shifts her gaze back to the side and her fingers begin to twitch (seeking something to busy themselves with — idle hands are the devil's playthings, after all), it's clear that this admittance isn't easy for her. ]
[Oh, the things he might say if she moved to query his demeanour. Hythlodaeus is happy, deliriously so as of late, and his usual content attitude being increased tenfold is easy to see for anyone who knows him.
She has never told him her name and although he has often found it strange it is something that he has bore with as a harmless boundary not to be pressed. When she speaks up in perplexes him for a moment, his mind not quite connecting what she says with what she means, but then she clarifies and his eyes immediately brighten.]
Era.
[A soft exhale pushes out through his nose as he places a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezes it.]
As fine a gift as this wonderful bow you brought me. I must say I feel rather spoiled.
[ Era doesn't look at him as he says her name for the first time — less out of any fear or anxiety and more because it lets the sound hit her horn more fully. Her memory of how her Hythlodaeus spoke her name has long since grown distant; faded, yet she still finds herself comparing the two sounds and finds that, somehow, she enjoys it from this Hythlodaeus slightly more. A Hythlodaeus who had only ever seen her as herself, not the fragment of his dear friend's sundered soul. Without that connection of nostalgia Era feels it to be slightly more meaningful.
She lets out a quick rush of breath as he touches her shoulder and squeezes it (gently, and not dissimilar to her family at home), startled by the unexpected action. It says a great deal of how comfortable she's grown in his presence that she let her guard drop so low.
After a moment she gives a small, wry chuckle. ]
Hello, my name is Era.
[ Era offers a polite bow of greeting, not wanting Hythlodaeus to take her delay in offering her name to be any sort of gift. ]
I am nine-fourteenths of Azem Hemera's sundered soul, plucked from the Aetherial Sea and given life by Hydaelyn eight years ago in an Eitherys parallel to yours.
[ She doesn't lift herself from her bow, but raises her head and gaze to look up at Hythlodaeus instead. ]
It's nice to meet you, former Chief of the Bureau of the Architect and hero of Eitherys.
[He isn't in any way expecting what she does next. It's true that not knowing her name has always brought with it a certain tone of awkwardness when it came to their interactions but Hythlodaeus has never held it against her, knowing that he couldn't possibly understand her situation. He has been lucky enough to be joined in this place by people who know him for himself and not only by the familiar shade of his soul and can't say how he would have felt had Emet-Selch arrived here and known him as a completely different person.
Hythlodaeus chuffs out a soft breath and his lips tilt in a wry half-smile when she addresses him by his job title (former, he supposes), only for him to blink and blurt out a soft, surprised laugh at the final words.]
Hero? Come now. I did nothing deserving of that kind of praise.
[He moves his hand from her shoulder to the top of her head, giving it a soft pat in a way he hopes comes across as the fondness it is and not condascending.]
There is one hero of Eitherys here, and she is standing right in front of me.
[ The pat on her head comes across just as he had hoped; a fond, reassuring weight that is anything but condescending. Era feels something warm unfurl in her chest and realizes she recognizes this feeling. Hythlodaeus's hand is larger and more slender than Thancred's, and the motion a bit more soft where his was firm; confident. But the way it fills her with that rare mixture of safe-warm-comfort-happy is near identical. Enough for her to let out a soft 'oh', as she instinctively leans up into the touch, seeking out more of it.
Family, she realizes. A brother.
It is almost enough to distract her from the way he dismisses himself. ]
...Perhaps it was different in your Etheirys, but mine would have been destroyed long before my friends and I could save it if not for you.
[ Despite her frown she still continues leaning into his hand — and if he tries to pull it away, she'll reach out and make him keep it there. ]
...and when I was drowning in the Aetherial Sea, I remember your hands pushing me back toward my loved ones' voices. [ Well. Him and Hades both, but she knows if she mentioned the esteemed Emet-Selch that Hythlodaeus would downplay himself again. ] So, if nothing else, Hythlodaeus will always be a hero to me.
[Well, she's not going to be deterred, and far be it from him to argue with her about it. Instead he simply lets out a patient little huff and shakes his head with a smile, giving her hair one last gentle ruffle before he drops his hand away.]
I suppose I can accept that much.
[If he must. Besides, they're having such a nice time here, pushing against what she thinks of him just wouldn't do at all. She's hardly the only person who thinks far more of him than he would say of himself after all...]
I would very much like to test this bow somewhere with a little more space, but can I interest you in a drink before we go rushing off anywhere?
I have been studying the nature of this realm and the Fox who brought us here. Your particular insight as one who has been here longer would be a welcome perspective.
[ Despite the phrasing, Elidibus isn't referring to the highly perceptive sight Hythlodaeus is known for. But being kin, a peer? That's something he can grasp. ]
Thank you. And forgive me for not visiting you in person. I have found myself occupied with the conclusion of the Fox's latest intervention into the Star Children's lives.
What are your thoughts on the true nature of the Fox? What facts... and what theory might you have cleaned through your experiences here?
I suppose we will never truly be. She reminds me... of a phenomenon given will. Whether this is something she has always existed as or that which became part of her being through outside influence, I know not.
What of the realm itself? I scholar I spoke to theorized this realm may not have been created, but a space the Fox filled with her power.
From my experience she does not create anything *new*. She seems only capable of recreating and replicating places and things from worlds that she has encountered via those she brings here. When she is not manipulating us directly.
Ah, yes. Though I have witnessed new beasts, there is much I am familiar with. And I have yet to see some concept which is completely unknown to any of those who reside here.
What do you make of her desire to have us fulfill the potential she sees in us?
Reaching one's full potential is a wholly subjective journey. If she is placing arbitrary goals based on her own estimations of us then we may never reach them.
As you say, the Fox has envisioned potential we may yet reach. Setting aside our own personal desires on how we wish to fulfill our purpose, one could easily argue there is no one truly capable of reaching their full potential, as we are constantly capable of reaching ever greater heights.
[ Deciding one's life purpose has been fulfilled is different from one's potential. ]
And potential by itself is a vague promise. Does the Fox have a clear potential she desires for each of us? Or is it merely an impetus to drive us? These are only two possibilities. Though I suspect given her mercurial nature, the options more nebulous in nature will oft be closer to the truth.
That is a conclusion I have reached as well. The Fox's power is absolute here and I see no answer as to how to prevent her from simply calling us back again should we escape. I fear efforts to ward against such a force would be ineffective.
[ One might argue the cracks caused by the Sundering likely made it far easier for the Fox to get into the metaphorical hen house that is Etheirys and from there Time would have been nothing to one that seemed as powerful as this entity. Elidibus will certainly not do so on such meager hypotheticals. ]
I will not hide from you my desire and intent to escape, should the opportunity present itself. And if you are able to uncover any clues about this realm or her existence, I would be grateful for them. You may take them as a request from Elidibus, if you desire. But know with whatever you say, I will do my utmost to respect your choice whether to remain or be free of this binding.
If it is framed as a request from the Emissary, then I can hardly refuse.
Not that I would have deliberately held information from you.
As for myself... I have nowhere else to go save for back to the Star, and despite my current situation... I find myself unwilling to hurry along to that end just yet.
I admit I can imagine no other place than our Star that I should be. Though I would fear my patience while I must wait for a chance to return may not easily keep apace to your own.
[ But then they are not quite the same types of patience are they? Elidibus has become singularly focused on his duty. So much so that anything which stands athwart it must not be allowed to continue. ]
It seems I will not want for those to with whom I might trust to compare my findings then. Thank you, Hythlodaeus.
Your presence is requested at the third junction of the fern trail lest the remainder of mine afternoon be blotted out by the balmy haze of good drink and entirely forgettable company. Animals, mostly.
In short: You are cordially invited to woo me for now I am in a holiday humor, and like enough to consent to whatever manner of mischief you might be able to conjure up for us.
There's plenty wine for the task, though given I will find myself drunk on your loveliness ere long, whether or not you will be able to "catch up" remains to be seen.
Your presence is more than enough, however. I would not wish any companion in the world but you.
[Hades is not difficult to locate with the shade of his aether shining like a beacon across Folkmore, and Hythlodaeus has no trouble at all in getting to him.
Look up, he'd said, and so he does with one arm shading his eyes from the sun, and then he giggles.]
[And there he is. He looks none the worse for wear, actually, though his wings are splayed out, loose and relaxed, on either side of the branch he's perched upon. Hades leans back against the trunk of a particularly sturdy looking oak tree, a bottle of wine clutched to his chest and one leg swinging precariously back and forth over the edge. A crown of narcissus and asphodel adorns his head - though by its inexact placement, one might guess he did not place it there himself.]
[A delay whilst he collects himself, and then two bright golden eyes lock onto Hythlodaeus. He shrugs then, as if it's a chore just to explain himself - but he does so anyway.]
I'm lounging; what does it look like? The fae creatures kept pestering me with their scarcely concealed euphemisms and thus did I escape into these boughs for a moment of reprieve and rose-tinted reflection.
Late? And here I did not even know I was expected until moments ago.
[He can't recall the last time he saw Hades in such a state of relaxation! Hythlodaeus giggles again against the back of his hand and then plants that same hand to his hip, a smile clear on his face.
Is he wearing flowers in his hair? How utterly delightful.]
Am I expected to join you amidst the boughs? I have my doubts that branch will take the weight of us both.
[Though, admittedly... he's willing to give it a try.]
Must it be said? Absent thine presence, a moment stretches on like years to one starved of your attentions. Let your laughter be a salve upon my weary soul, and your merriment a river running through the desert of my heart.
[Hades waves a hand in an unworried manner, inclining his head in such a way that makes it clear he expects Hythlodaeus to join him all the same. Besides, it isn't as if such a feat is strictly impossible.]
Difficult, perhaps, to join me as you are. Though if memory serves, you have several means at your disposal. I shall be curious to see which of these proves most effective.
[Sprawling back against the bark, Hades folds one leg over the other and examines the bottle more closely, as if by doing so it might at last relinquish its secrets.]
[He closes his eyes for a moment as he allows the poetry in Hades' words to wash over him. One so rarely heard him speak thus, after all, and it was always a delight to hear it.]
Hmm. 't is to be a challenge, then.
[Hythlodaeus steps back, narrowing his eyes on his target as if trying to calculate the best way to ascend.
Then, all at once, his entire form seems to shrink and fold in on itself, a flurry of fabric and lilac shades, and in place of the man is a small white bird with a long, purple tail and a neat crest of purple feathers. The bird quickly ascends, landing easily on the branch in front of Hades, and then the man himself is present once again.
He stays still, then shifts, ensuring the sturdiness of the branch in supporting their combined weight before he chuckles and shifts forwards almost like a prowling cat. One hand clasps over Hades' thigh as he leans in to kiss him, tasting the wine on his lips.]
[For if it were truly one, he'd have made certain to choose something a touch more difficult. Instead, he's left to watch as Hythlodaeus transforms into some exotic little songbird and immediately flitters upwards to alight on the branch before him with practiced ease.]
[For Hades's part, he still doesn't seem to doubt the sturdiness of the branch. After all, should it snap in twain, there's surely enough time to catch himself before he lands. It might even be exciting.]
[Hades shifts the bottle so that Hythlodaeus can't take it from him right away, but he remains open to the kiss, tilting his head up just enough and sliding his free hand around Hythlodaeus's waist to hold him there lest he fall or, heavens forfend, decide to fly back down into the bushes, visible but frustratingly out of reach.]
And no, I am not satisfied; not yet. But I suspect I will be, ere long.
[Oh, but he does look as criminally beautiful as ever.]
You don't mean to spend the entire afternoon on your knees, I should hope. It looks dreadfully uncomfortable.
Hmm? And here I had a mind that you might enjoy having me on my knees.
[He teases, smiles, and leans in for another kiss with the security that Hades' arm around him brings. Having no attention to pull himself out of reach by mishap or otherwise, he leans in to the other man's touch and plays with a lock of his hair with one hand while the other keeps his balance.]
I do like this new accessory. [Hythlodaeus comments, nodding his head upwards towards the crown circling Hades' head.]
[Hades snorts softly, and makes a show of rolling his eyes upwards since both of his hands are presently occupied - and will be for some time, he imagines. He has little desire to let the bottle go, and even less to displace the other from where it is still tucked warmly into the dip at the base of Hythlodaeus's spine.]
The creatures were quite insistent that everyone should wear one. Some cultural affair or other. You may have it if you like.
[It doesn't suit him at all, but Hythlodaeus seems soft and amused by it, and he doesn't mind watching such an expression on his face for a few moments longer.]
And perhaps I would. But right now it is still far too early.
[He tugs gently at Hythlodaeus for emphasis. He's more than welcome to move closer if he has a care to. While his arms are occupied, his lap is vacant, and there's more than enough room.]
Why would I remove it when it looks so becoming on you? [Hythlodaeus laughs and moves along with that gentle tugging, shifting himself closer and making himself comfortable in that temptingly vacant lap.
He settles and stretches his legs out, leaning himself back against the other man's broad chest and humming in pleased comfort. This is nice.]
Have you considered that mayhap it would look far better upon you? What with the yellow of the narcissus complementing your silken tresses, and the asphodel easily becoming lost against mine own.
[Logical, he thinks, when Hythlodaeus has always had such beautiful and striking hair. Though eventually he relents, wordlessly passing the bottle forward by its neck, if only because having his hand thus freed means he can wrap both arms about his lover, pressing forward into that strong back.]
[It's hardly the flower crown that has softened the man's edges (and words) so - it's the wine, without a doubt. No matter how much he might protest.]
[Hythlodaeus titters, thoroughly delighted by Hades' current demeanour, and takes the bottle to swallow a mouthful of the contents. It goes down easily and he makes a sound of approval as he passes it back.]
Lovely. We should see about getting some for the occasional night in.
[Settled against Hades' chest he closes his eyes and hums, letting his head fall back and turning it to smudge a kiss to the other man's cheek.]
And you're being terribly poetic. Do tell me more about my 'silken tresses'.
[Hades clucks his tongue in dismay as Hythlodaeus passes the bottle back in his direction. He hardly wants to see so much as a drop of it go to waste, yet at the same time, taking it from him will require him to adjust...and he doesn't wish that overmuch either.]
[He leans a little closer to make his point known, his hands sliding more securely around him - like a petulant child reluctant to let go of a favored toy.]
Stow it away if you're already finished with it. And what, precisely, do you mean by "occasional"?
[The kiss goes some way towards mollifying him, however. Hythlodaeus seems content, and it's enough to ease any lingering annoyance he may feel - feigned or otherwise. He allows his own eyelids to droop - not entirely closed, but enough that what sliver of the world he sees is reduced to the back of Hythlodaeus's head leant against his chest and the curve of one ear just visible amidst those "silver tresses" he so ardently spoke of.]
Pity. I would have thought I was being brilliantly poetic. Yet what more needs to be said? Words would pale by comparison. Shall I describe the way the dappled light dances upon them when they hang in loose waves? How the texture is alike the soft inner edge of a newly unfurled rose petal? The way those flyaway wisps frame your face so exactly? Or mayhap you wish me to detail its fragrance.
[Well, if he doesn't want the bottle... Hythlodaeus will keep hold of it, resting it against his thigh rather than trying to move to give it back to Hades again. He's so cute like this, though he's sure the other man would be disgruntled to hear himself described in such a way, and the way he settles as Hythlodaeus finds a comfortable position is cute as well.
He lets his head rest back as he listens to Hades' voice by his ear, feeling the way his heart gently swells with the simple tone and cadence of it regardless of the words being said, and he utters the softest chuckle at the questions sent his way.]
I speak to a thespian and poet, do I not? A veritable master of words. [Hythlodaeus smiles and although Hades would not be able to see it, the expression is clear enough in the warmth of his voice.] Paint me a picture with them, dear heart, and I will hear no excuses that you are incapable. I know it not to be so.
[Hades doesn't need to see it. The fondness in Hythlodaeus's voice is as effective as a lamp guiding him in. He nestles closer, his chin resting atop the crown of his head - a present, if considered weight. Tipsy though he is, it isn't his intention to smother Hythlodaeus. Not yet, at least - and not in this particular way.]
[He lets out a low breath. Of course he'd make such demands now, when he's too worn down to refuse him... Not that he particularly wants to, in this case.]
Before your silken tresses, the wisteria weep with jealousy.
Their blooms liquify and runneth down to pool like a fragrant lake about thine feet. Mine heart pays tribute. And when - inevitably - the clear bells that signal thine amusement appeal to the air, the songbirds fall silent to listen.
[Hades traces Hythlodaeus's sleeve with careful fingers, seeking out the warmth of his hand to tuck into his.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
text, UN: Machinist
Date: 2023-05-31 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-06-02 11:53 pm (UTC)I can give you another look over, if you need me to... Though I can't guarantee you're going to like what I tell you when I do.
text > action
Date: 2023-06-03 05:20 pm (UTC)--
Since Hythlodaeus had already been to the lab before, that's where Viktor met with him again. It looked much the same as it had before but instead of the kerosene heater, it was instead cooler to stay inside thanks to a sort of air conditioning that Viktor wasn't sure about the source of, and for all he knew it was a type of magic. A box fan did sit on the floor quietly circulating air throughout the large laboratory.
Viktor also looked much the same as he had before. Which is to say that he was wearing the single black glove again despite not apparently needing it until very recently.
"Hello. Thank you for doing this."
no subject
Date: 2023-06-12 05:51 pm (UTC)Not yet.
"You don't need to thank me, it's no imposition."
And it isn't as if using Soul Sight drains him in any way. It's simply a talent he has.
"Whenever you're ready."
no subject
Date: 2023-06-15 04:30 pm (UTC)Beneath the glove his hand now looks as it once did but also with a visible intensity over the way that it was. The husks of ligaments and tendons and the overall fibrous quality now seemed to stretch between what should be the bone structure of the hand. It was still warm to the touch but also felt like a strange mix of metal and stone.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-17 04:39 pm (UTC)"How long has it been like this?"
There's a subtle shift in the way he's holding his attention and the corners of his eyes pinch, but he quickly flicks his eyes back to Viktor's face without needing to examine the problem too closely.
"... I'm afraid to say your suspicions were correct. What happened?"
no subject
Date: 2023-06-17 08:34 pm (UTC)Viktor isn't sure how much Hythlodaeus already knows about the bodyswap.
"My body was shutting down and I didn't expect to live very long. As crazy as it does sound when I say it out loud I actually went through something like a complete body replacement to try to remedy that. I suppose that at the time I did not think about it further and it wasn't until this last Trial that I found that I could still do the sort of magic that losing aether allowed me to do before. "
That was a bit of an understatement since Viktor had used that magic ability a lot during this past Trial.
"So when my hand looked like this it was after I had been making use of that magic ability."
What Viktor isn't saying is that he was actually intending to harm something when it did show itself.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-26 06:26 pm (UTC)As it turns out he knows next to nothing about it because he didn't get himself involved, but from the expression on his face it's clear enough what he thinks about it. Dangerous. Very dangerous. And ultimately, it seems, entirely pointless.
"Viktor."
He doesn't need to be told much more to put the pieces together. Hythlodaeus frowns and steps a little away from the other man, pacing back and forth a couple of times. In this, he is not an expert and nor would he claim to be despite his general level of intelligence, but...
"... You're going to have to start from the beginning."
no subject
Date: 2023-06-26 08:01 pm (UTC)"As you know I had been experimenting on myself with an apparently unstable magical object. At the time my body was shutting down from my bones to muscles and internal organs and showing up as me coughing up pieces of my lungs specifically. In an effort to artificially extend my life, I was experimenting on my own body. I did not intend for it to affect anyone else but my research assistant was absorbed by said magical object and died in a most horrific way."
Viktor was so consumed by the guilt, he very seriously considered taking his own life.
"By the time I made my way to Folkmore I had already been experimenting on myself for some time. I was then unable to walk without the assistance of a crutch and had roughly four months left to live. That was the reason for the complete body replacement. It was ordinarily not something I would have thought was possible but I did come into contact with a god that was able to do it."
Now Viktor did grimace a little bit.
"But while it did have an effect on what showed in my hand, in hindsight I can see that it would have had no effect on my aether."
And Viktor now felt very foolish not to have counted on that.
"I should have realized what was happening when I was still able to use the sort of magic that I had been using whenever it would consume more of my aether, but I will fully admit that I've been frustrated by my lack of ability to be useful in any sort of fight. During the last Trial specifically, there were times when I could do so little with the sort of magic that I had been using and I..."
Here he faltered a bit but knew that he was going to have to explain this whether he wanted to or not.
"...I used the magic that I had been using to cause harm. To actively hurt something. At that moment my hand changed into what you are now seeing."
no subject
Date: 2023-06-29 06:53 pm (UTC)Hmm.
Hythlodaeus shakes his head and brings his hand up to distractedly toy with the end of his braid as he thinks it all through.
"Magic is magic. It's neither good or bad in and of itself. How you decided to use it shouldn't have caused this kind of acceleration." The concept of all things being in balance is not strange to Hythlodaeus. He knows it well, but does not see how this could be an expression of it.
"Just how powerful is the magic you were using? If you can describe it."
Aether regenerates in time, but he already knows that Viktor's is being drawn out of him by something that he has no doubt someone like Emet-Selch would understand with far more ease than he could.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-30 04:51 pm (UTC)Viktor's expression was haunted while explaining that.
"Based on what you said and my own experience of mutation and a mutation-caused magic, I have developed a theory for what I have been thinking of as magic."
His expression was pained now.
"I think it's not magic at all. I believe that because it is so limited in capability, what is actually happening is my aether is being consumed and the byproduct is what I have been using.
Since intentions are a form of magic in the world I come from it would be logical that my intentions were somehow connected to my aether."
If that is the case, Viktor isn't sure how he would be careful with his emotions. Or which emotions could full which intentions for that matter.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-03 09:29 pm (UTC)"I see, I see." Yes, that does make sense. It would be a mistake to believe that he could judge all of this based only on his own understanding of magic. What Viktor says sounds something akin to creation magic, however, so it's not too difficult for him to adjust his thinking.
For a few long moments he's quiet, then he huffs out a soft breath.
"So, do you have an idea of what you're going to do next?"
no subject
Date: 2023-07-04 06:46 pm (UTC)"I don't know. I don't know of a way that would undo the loss that has already happened."
Though it would always be there and was the topic of this conversation Viktor put the black glove back over his hand.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-09 10:00 pm (UTC)Aether not being a finite resource, though certainly having its limits... Hythlodaeus can still admit he's never seen anything quite like Viktor's problem before. He lapses into thought again, a crease forming in his brow as he frowns and thinks...
"And you can't keep relying on me to top you off, as happy as I am to do it."
A more permanent solution would be better, but it seems that whatever Viktor did to himself it's attached to his very being, not just the body he occupies. The researchers at Anyder would really have a field day with this.
"I suppose no one else has any ideas, either..."
no subject
Date: 2023-07-14 08:13 pm (UTC)"What if another body was linked to my 'life force', or my aether as you put it?"
Viktor wasn't sure where he was going with this line of thought, but the Familiar bond that he had created being linked to his own aether made as much sense as so much did here in Folmore.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-17 07:39 pm (UTC)He thinks about it, tilting his head slightly to one side and curling one finger against his chin. Viktor might not be sure where he's going with that line of thought but Hythlodaeus can see it.
"It could potentially balance you out, at least temporarily..." But... "But it could be dangerous in the long term, for you and for them. You'd need to be careful." He pauses, then makes a small gesture with one hand.
"Of course, I can only speculate based on my own knowledge."
text, UN: Machinist
Date: 2023-08-16 05:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 05:49 pm (UTC)I feel like I'm less and less in control of any violent urges that I feel. While I understand that you wouldn't know any better than I did because of this unique situation, I just... find myself feeling afraid I think?
no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:01 pm (UTC)You're going to need to start from the beginning, I'm not sure I follow.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:11 pm (UTC)When you felt this urge, was it to cause harm in self defence or simply because you wanted to?
no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:25 pm (UTC)And I assume you're asking me because those people closer to you would worry too much if you brought it up to them?
no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:34 pm (UTC)What makes you think these urges of yours have something to do with your condition?
no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-16 07:04 pm (UTC)Go ahead. I'm listening. Or reading, as the case may be.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-17 02:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-20 10:13 pm (UTC)The creation magic used by my people operates on a similar concept, so I think I understand.
As for the effect it's having on your mind... my recommendation would be to stop using the power it's giving you. I'm sure you're already aware of that.
no subject
Date: 2023-08-23 04:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-27 10:22 pm (UTC)To me it seems more as if you are certainly damned if you do, but you can make the choice to not.
Would they want you to damn yourself to help them?
no subject
Date: 2023-08-29 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-30 01:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-08-30 06:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-01 03:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-01 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-10 06:32 pm (UTC)If Jayce were the one going through this, would you want to know?
no subject
Date: 2023-09-12 03:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-23 09:02 pm (UTC)In that case, you can trust me to keep the matter to myself. However, if you feel yourself slipping further, I urge you to tell someone about it. Even if that someone is me. I will do what I can.
[Backdated] The Prancing Pony
Date: 2024-02-26 03:47 pm (UTC)[Emet-Selch won't keep him waiting, either. Such was never his wont.]
[If Hythlodaeus was expecting a spectacle, there is no sign of one yet. Still, Emet-Selch looks put-together (if understated) in his dark coat and slacks, and he seems to be in an agreeable enough mood whilst he takes a seat opposite him, the dark feathers extending from his shoulders fluffing once to shrug off the winter chill before vanishing altogether.]
I do hope you brought an appetite.
[An off-handed remark, at odds with the way his bright eyes focus on Hythlodaeus - relaxed, but determined.]
no subject
Date: 2024-03-02 09:25 pm (UTC)Naturally.
[Amongst other things... A burning curiosity for one, and no small amount of peculiar anxiety bubbling in the pit of his stomach. There's something about this that feels a little different from any other time they have sat down for a meal together.
He feels as if he's anticipating something.
But, as ever, Hythlodaeus keeps his appearance a jovial one and makes himself comfortable.]
This is a very good spot. I must commend you on your choice. [He does so love to people-watch.] And I am rather fond of the place. Are you familiar with the menu?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-05 05:00 pm (UTC)[In the end, Emet-Selch decides to allow Hythlodaeus to set the pace. After all, he'll be needing his friend's participation sooner rather than later anyway. He allows his arms to rest upon the table, taking but a moment to absorb their surroundings before his attention returns to his companion - and the menu, he supposes.]
Only sparingly. Thus, if you've recommendations to make, I would hear them.
The last time I entered this place was when I decided to make a tour of the land. See all there was to see. The atmosphere hasn't changed much, though I daresay the crowd has grown considerably.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-10 11:19 pm (UTC)[Though Hythlodaeus is not necessarily opposed to eating meat as a rule he has found that, for the most part, he doesn't need to and that the options to avoid it very much suit his pallate.]
And you did choose to come at a popular hour. Not that I'm complaining, mind you... I'm enjoying the view.
[Which view he means is entirely up to interpretation as he tilts his head slightly to look over to Emet-Selch while the words leave his mouth. He picks up a menu to look over it.]
As for drinks... I think I'll start with something non-alcoholic. The strawberry lemonade is delightful.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-11 04:58 pm (UTC)[Emet-Selch scans the menu, or at least pretends to. Many of the dishes are familiar to him, if not in name, than in description. Yet even if he's beginning to feel a bit peckish, he isn't here for the food, and doesn't plan to lose himself to indecision.]
Perhaps a vegetable quiche. Or the roasted eggplant and tomato pasta.
[Another glance in Hythlodaeus's direction. His thoughts are ordered, and he thinks (he feels) that he could tackle this conversation at any time. However, it may perhaps be kinder to wait, so that neither of them will have to suffer a potential bout of indigestion. Not that he's worried, particularly. Whatever the answer, he can endure. He's far too old, far too tired, to even consider walking away from this like a dejected puppy with his tail tucked between his legs.]
[He must have fallen silent too long, so he adds:]
Lemonade you said? Sounds a bit sour if you ask me. Or do you prefer it when seemingly opposing flavors are tossed together in unexpected ways?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-15 04:35 pm (UTC)[The implication being that they can share, and see which one of them each prefers for the next time they might be here to make an order. Hythlodaeus suggests it as easily as he might ask someone about the weather then sets his menu down as if that decision has been made.
The next comment does make him laugh, however.]
'T is a philosophy I like to apply to life as much as food, as well you know. [The lemonade itself is not particularly sour thanks to the sweetness of the strawberries, but he does not think that the lemonade itself was actually the centre of his friend's point.]
Sometimes, 't is worth trying something one might not expect they will enjoy. [He smiles wryly.] Such ventures often yield unexpected surprises.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-18 07:02 pm (UTC)Fair enough, I suppose. So long as we needn't go through the trouble of casting lots over which dish should go to whom.
[His own menu is set aside, so that he might offer his undivided attention.]
But, yes. The "try it and you might like it" hypothesis with its 50% success rate. When embarked upon with company, the odds of at least one person enjoying himself quickly increases, the chance that those who don't might at the very least find something meaningful and positive in the experience through the proxy of their friend's enjoyment, too, rises exponentially. That philosophy?
[Hardly scientific, but then he wasn't trying to be. If anything there's a wry note of humor tucked between the syllables as he speaks.]
And what have you discovered of late? Something you didn't walk into with an open mind?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-24 05:23 am (UTC)And yet, Hythlodaeus remains incredibly fond of him regardless. He wouldn't be the same person if he wasn't like this, and this is the person that first drew him in. Opposites attract and all that. He knows that a good heart beats inside the man's chest in spite of his sour demeanour.]
Yes, yes, that hypothesis. And no, not recently, though have you ever known me to approach any situation with anything less than an open mind? [Granted, he has some Opinions about Thirteen which one would likely not classify as 'open-minded', but when it comes to her... well, he has his reasons, as many here do.]
I seem to recall it was you who so often needed their arm twisting.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-01 06:54 pm (UTC)[He simply knows what he wants, and knows equally the sorts of activities he has no particular interest in. The manner of mischief he,d never agree to on the surface, but would allow himself to be swept up in - so long as it wasn't by his own admission.]
And no, not particularly. In fact, I'm rather counting on it.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-08 06:48 pm (UTC)Oh, he did miss this. More keenly than he realised, after all. When a member of staff comes by to enquire after their order he cheerfully replies for the both of them then settles back into position, pausing a moment before reaching over to place his hand lightly over Emet-Selch's wrist.
They both know as well as the other that he is not so weak-minded as to allow himself to be swept up into things he did not, on some level, actually want to be a part of. It's something about him that Hythlodaeus has always found terribly endearing.]
So, do you have plans for us for the rest of the evening? I am entirely at your disposal after all.
[Ah, he's smiling that smile again.]
Or did you simply wish to wine and dine me and then leave me with a kiss at my door?
no subject
Date: 2024-04-08 07:30 pm (UTC)[Emet-Selch regards it for a moment, before facing Hythlodaeus squarely. Smile or no smile, it seems his time for rumination is over. He may as well get this over with before it drags on any longer.]
After all of these years, do you truly expect me to stop at dinner and a simple peck on the cheek? You know as well as anyone that I'm unaccustomed to doing anything by halves.
[He lays his other hand firmly over his, holding it there so Hythlodaeus can't pull it away immediately.]
I'll take you up on your offer. It saves me the trouble of inventing excuses to prolong our time together, don't you think?
no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 10:33 am (UTC)Well...
[Flustered, he smiles uncertainly as he looks at his hand, pinned in place as it is by the one atop it. After all of these years, he said, and as that sinks in Hythlodaeus' eyes flash up. His lips part as if he's going to say something then press together, then he chuckles.]
To think that you are still able to surprise me. [He does sound terribly endeared by the revelation.] But you should know that excuses are unnecessary. I would never turn down the pleasure of your company.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 05:46 pm (UTC)[Emet-Selch watches as his face begins to flush, his gaze bright with something like triumph, although he refrains from commenting on Hythlodaeus's change in complexion. He'd rather not make this embarrassing for him, after all. Enough that his remarks earned a reaction - and not a terrible start, either.]
Yes, and I believe I could get used to it.
Surprising you, that is.
[His mouth twitches in amusement - because he is amused. So rare the opportunity to properly turn the tables on his friend. But he won't be cruel about it. After a moment, he carefully releases his hand.]
Perhaps you would also give some thought to staying over. I'm certain I've at least a few other tricks up my sleeve that may or may not interest you.
Of course, if you would prefer that I begin at square one and attempt to woo you properly...
no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 06:16 pm (UTC)[It is tempting. To be wooed properly, with all the things that implies, it does have a certain appeal... But Hythlodaeus sees where this is going and as his heart races his impatience will absolutely not be denied—
He looks down as Emet-Selch moves his hand, his expression briefly clouding with disappointment. Then he smiles again, as he so often does. His fingers squeeze around the other man's arm.]
I think, in this matter, we have both been kept waiting for more than long enough. [Haven't they? He prays he has not misunderstood. His eyes are bright and intense and he's closer to Emet-Selch than he remembers getting. He doesn't remember moving.]
I should be very interested to see these tricks of yours. I may have one or two of my own to offer in turn.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 06:51 pm (UTC)[Emet-Selch notices too, how Hythlodaeus seems to have leant himself forward across the table, how his eyes appear both intent and almost starved. Expectant.]
[While he isn't keen on displaying his affection in public, he does chance to reach over and tuck a wayward wisp of his friend's hair back behind one ear.]
So it's to be a game of show-and-tell, is it? Sounds promising.
Perhaps I should also mention, in case you fear I've forgotten, that I have every intention of saying my piece. Tonight. It wouldn't do to ruin a perfectly good meal, even if the wait may prove to be excruciating.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-12 02:27 pm (UTC)[He pouts slightly as he settles back and simmers down again. Hythlodaeus can feel his heart racing with an anticipation that he can't quite put a name to, but he's sure that Emet-Selch is going to make him wait.
Admittedly, he could jump the proverbial gun. He could, but he has no wish to steal his friend's spotlight. So, patience it is. Patience, while the shell of his ear tingles where the other man had touched it and he has to resist the urge to play with his hair.]
But with so fine a view I cannot be too vexed.
[Back to the flirtatious teasing, then.]
You do know how to choose a very complimentary ensemble.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-22 05:01 pm (UTC)[The words are more gentle than one of Emet-Selch's rebuffs would normally be, as if such pouting even deserves a considered reply. He knows Hythlodaeus is playing things up a bit, even as he knows (or at least hopes) there's some truth to his friend's impatience.]
[...And yet another sigh soon follows, his brow creases between his eyes. Emet-Selch could swear Hythlodaeus is doing this as a form of playful retaliation. He gauges his response for a moment as their drinks are brought to the table, silent until they are once again alone.]
And you are as lovely as a wisteria branch blooming in the springtime.
You do know how to appeal to one's ego. ...if only I were a vain man.
[A pause and then:]
It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What would happen if our people dressed however they wished, inventing their own fashions, expressing their uniqueness.
For as much as we've always embraced conformity and accord, treating one another as brethren, equal in every way... we have ever been individuals, with that truth written upon our very souls.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-22 06:06 pm (UTC)It does make me wonder...
[The conformity and equality of their Etheirys was so entirely a social norm that to question it was almost unthinkable. Even Hythlodaeus himself, for all his quirks and eccentricities, had never veered too far away from what was expected of him in terms of appearance.
But he nods thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against the side of his glass.]
I wonder, were we not so convinced of the superiority of our social harmony, would things have gone differently for us. [No need to say what he's really thinking. The strength of the Sundered lay in their differences, as much as their own people were made weaker by their stubborn conformity.
His thoughts drift for a moment, then he laughs quietly and shakes his head.]
I, for one, have rather enjoyed wearing colours other than black while out in public.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-29 06:54 pm (UTC)[Emet-Selch watches him over his glass, and then raises it by the stem, his response firm and not so easily swayed.]
I, for one, am still convinced.
You see, people long for the familiar. If they are presented with something too far outside of their beliefs, too different from what they know - they will reject it. Or worse, come to fear it.
I've seen wars begin over less.
[He takes a long, considering sip before setting the glass back down upon the table.]
That doesn't, however, mean that every puzzle can be solved in exactly the same way. Nor that expressing oneself with more than words alone is something to be denied.
After all, Etheirys herself has granted us a world full of color and diversity, one which even we hoped to expand - not by creating more of the same, but by growing our understanding of what is possible.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-29 11:36 pm (UTC)Endearing. He smiles indulgently and reaches a hand over the table to take Emet-Selch's free one in his, rolling the pad of his thumb slowly over the knuckles.
He witnessed first-hand how people will flee from the unfamiliar when it challenges them too deeply. The fate of their Star had once balanced on such a knife edge.]
You're quite right, of course.
[His friend is wise, and it does him no harm to occasionally acknowledge that fact.]
We found expression in our creations and creativity. In our boundless love for our world. [Hythlodaeus pauses. He smiles again.] You always cared so much. I have always liked that about you.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-30 02:46 pm (UTC)[His mouth twitches into a frown, memory and sentiment, and the dull ache of old wounds warring with one another for an unspoken moment.]
I'm not certain I like where you're headed with this, but I can assure you that I have only ever "cared" as much as my duty required. Anything more was to my own detriment.
...
[He doesn't retract his hand this time, however. Instead, Emet-Selch lets out a low sigh of defeat and threads his fingers through Hythlodaeus's.]
...as we both well know. I once raged against the very thought that I would someday reanimate our home to sate my own whims, to fill the void of loss. And yet, every detail that was described to us that day came to pass precisely as foretold.
A megalomaniacal madman indeed.
And yet I ask myself: how could I have done anything less?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-03 01:19 am (UTC)As their fingers are laced together he smiles and squeezes Emet-Selch's hand. He remembers how furious he had been at the very idea that he might do something so dramatically sentimental, and that he might become the kind of man that their interesting new friend had described, and yet...]
How can anyone conceive of grieving for so long? No small wonder that such an act seemed ridiculous to you back then. [Hythlodaeus places his free hand over their joined ones.] Any of us might have done the same. I am sure that I would have, had I even a drop of your talent under the same circumstances.
[Then he shakes his head. It must have been a sight to behold, and for a stray thought to have produced a near-sapient version of himself from such yearning... It is enough to make him smile once more.]
And I think... you did realise that, even if only a little. That it was the truth. I could hardly have made you come around otherwise.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-03 04:17 pm (UTC)"Made me". [He echoes, making his skepticism perfectly plain.]
I allowed you to convince me. Whether I believed the tale or no makes no difference. What mattered was - bizarre as it sounded - a possibility existed that doom could befall not only our star but our people. It was my responsibility to investigate such claims further. To ignore them would have been a failure on my part.
[He frowns, head tilting to one side as he takes in that smile. Wondering just what it is that has Hythlodaeus feeling so...soft.]
You would have built an underwater city and populated it with phantoms...? You would have orchestrated your own final stand, to bet everything on victory, and ensure that - in the unlikely event of failure - your defeat, at least, would be by your own terms?
"Grief" until that time was a concept most could but speculate on. We did not know the weight of despair that accompanies losing everything, of having one's very existence changed before their eyes.
Yes, the actions of that man as he was described were ridiculous to me; insulting and out-of-character. Yet the part that infuriated me the most was that he lived through all of that, with the hopes of his entire civilization resting upon his shoulders - and then he lost.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-03 07:07 pm (UTC)I know well enough how it is to lose everything. [He says softly. His gaze wavers as though he might like to drop his eyes down, but he doesn't.] Not as you do, and I wouldn't claim it so, but...
[Hythlodaeus shakes his head. His smile fades a little.]
I will not pretend that I understand what all that time was like for you. I spent twelve eons drifting in a dream before my mind sharpened once again; I didn't have to go through what you did. I did not have to carry that weight. I cannot say that I could have without buckling under it.
[Gently, he tugs the other man's hand up and towards him. Gently, he presses a kiss to the backs of Hades' fingers.]
The you of back then didn't understand how he could have lost. Even I found it to be entirely dubious. [But he understands now, doesn't he. Hythlodaeus had heard it from the man's own mouth. In the end everything that had happened was what was supposed to and there was little arguing against it now.
The corner of his mouth quirks up.]
And while I cannot say I would have done it all... going out on my own terms? I think I could have managed that, at least. I'm not entirely useless.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 05:03 am (UTC)[Emet-Selch says nothing. After all, what can be said? Much had been lost, yet rather than an emptiness, a void, their absense had ever felt like a palpable weight, one impossible to ignore. Instead, he considers what Hythlodaeus says next, his voice a low murmur.]
I see. So that is what befell those souls who gave themselves to Lord Zodiark. I do hope said dream was kinder than the reality of our situation. Or at the very least mostly inoffensive.
[Emet-Selch watches him, and the way that even now his friend appears to be trying to ease his burdens rather than apply a salve to his own. Hythlodaeus's touch is warm, his skin tingling beneath the softness of his lips in a way he hasn't felt in centuries, unashamed and unquiet. His eyes glint briefly, a kaleidoscope of color just waiting to be read.]
You always say that. [He chides quietly.] Even after all this time, I am left to wonder who it is that you feel you must convince?
I have never once found you useless, not entirely nor otherwise.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-05 09:53 pm (UTC)[Yes, well.
His idle protestations as to his usefulness - or lack thereof - have never held any water with his closest friends. They allow him the indulgence, he expects, but none of them actually consider him to be useless in any respect.]
I know. I know, Hades.
[He shakes his head. Why he would say it was easy enough to explain. Against his friends he was nothing special in terms of ability or intelligence and his self-appointed role as a supporting character in their lives made it easier to simply fade into the background of their various accomplishments.
Still with the other man's hand held loosely in his he leans his cheek against Emet-Selch' fingers, humming softly in thought.]
Perhaps I'm only convincing myself. You certainly never put any stock in it.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-06 03:58 pm (UTC)No, I don't.
And I should like to think that I have known you for long enough to have a sound opinion.
[He watches him carefully, eyes narrowing, but not in anger or frustration. In fact, he thinks his suggestion a perfectly reasonable one.]
Though, if you will forgive me for saying so, if you're still trying to convince yourself even now, perhaps it was about time you tried another method entirely.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-09 02:47 am (UTC)It's strange. His protestations regarding his level of usefulness were almost always waved aside if not outright denied by his friends despite his persistence in stating them. It was almost like a little joke between them all, barely permitted due to Hythlodaeus' preference for a supporting role, but none of them would ever repeat the same things back to him.
That they were... allowing it had of course crossed his mind, though he had never really thought too hard about it before.]
Oh, there's nothing to forgive. [He shakes his head, patting Emet-Selch's hand before he moves to let him go.] But what other methods did you have in mind?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-09 03:49 pm (UTC)A demonstration of how useful you can be, perhaps? After all, if you see it with your own eyes, you will have little room to doubt.
"Seeing is believing" as they say.
[Emet-Selch lowers his voice until it is only just audible above the din.]
Allow me to put your gift to its proper purpose.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-09 11:23 pm (UTC)He's looking at the man intensely again, as if he's hungry for every word coming out of his mouth. They had been apart for too long, he thinks... far, far too long.]
A demonstration..?
[His head tilts, lips curving in a small smile. Just what was his dear Hades planning?]
Just what would you have me do..?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-13 02:46 pm (UTC)Need you ask? Absolutely nothing less than what you already want to do.
[It isn't so much a question as it is a statement, each word delivered with care. Emet-Selch looks as if he's about to continue when a timid "ahem" sounds from behind him, and with it, the arrival of their respective meals.]
[For his part, Emet-Selch appears a bit put-out by the interruption, but he at last returns to a more upright position, his attention drifting elsewhere, even as a wrinkle of vexation forms between his eyebrows. Perhaps he's more impatient than he'd prefer to believe.]
We will, of course, also touch upon this topic later. Along with everything else.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-13 10:48 pm (UTC)[By the Star, but do ignore the way that his face seems like it's burning again. How is it that this man keeps tripping him up again and again even with all the years they have known one another..? Even with all the years that he could have anticipated this, even if circumstances continually conspired to keep them from making the next step.
He would have liked Emet-Selch to continue, but the quiet sound of the server with their meals clearing their throat has him straightening up and almost tugging his hand free before he once again thinks better of it.
Along with everything else. How such a simple phrase can make every inch of his skin tingle.]
We should enjoy our meals, then. [He smiles, waiting for the server to leave before adding;] It sounds like we're going to need the energy.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-13 11:44 pm (UTC)[Emet-Selch makes a sweeping motion with his free hand to indicate the two plates, one adorned with a delectable-looking vegetable quiche, and the other a tangy eggplant pasta. A small basket of bread has been set to one side with both melted butter and seasoned olive oil for dipping.]
I don't believe we ever clarified which dish belonged to whom. Choose whichever you like, as long as I won't be hearing about it later.
[Of course, this will all require two hands rather than one, and at last Emet-Selch prompts:]
After you. They won't be any good cold.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-13 11:59 pm (UTC)Then he pauses, for a long moment, his fork in his hand and his attention apparently elsewhere. His gaze flickers and he lets out a soft breath through his nose.]
This is so nice. [Just spending time together, regardless of the why.] And entirely too long in coming.
[He pauses to take a bite of food, chewing it thoughtfully.]
At the risk of irritating you with my sentimentality... I'm glad you're here. I missed you.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 04:10 pm (UTC)[He's quiet a moment, considering.]
I won't begrudge you your sentimentality. That my presence remains a novelty to you is favorable, after all...
Indeed, compared to you I find it all too easy to dismiss the little things - present company nonwithstanding, that is. I would therefore urge you to cherish every moment.
['Tis the sort of thing he used to say once upon a time, to their mutual friend.]
Though I suppose it's worth noting that I have come by several important truths during the course of mine own journey. One of which being that I have existed without you once - and I would not do so again.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 07:33 pm (UTC)It could have been fun.
He's in the middle of a bite, listening to the other man speak and letting the sound of his voice roll over him, when he goes ahead and says that. It's just as well that Hythlodaeus had managed to swallow his mouthful because the way his breath catches in his throat would have surely had him choking.]
You-... [There is a single, slightly mortifying realisation in that moment. Though Hades has caught him by surprise several times already he has not said anything yet that has hit Hythlodaeus so squarely in the chest as this. He blinks rapidly then sets his fork down, pushing the heel of his hand lightly against the corner of his eye and giving a shaky laugh.] You have no idea what it does to me when you say things like that, do you?
[Or maybe he does. Hythlodaeus shakes his head.]
In all the time I spent in that strange dream... I still somehow noted your absence. I wondered, at times... if you knew how you might find me, but then I thought, no, if you knew, you would have come. [He picks his fork up again. Gives a small sniff as he pulls himself together.] But you should know, my dear Hades, that if you want me then I am yours. As I ever was.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 01:17 am (UTC)[And this the very least of what he could say. The dish has rather lost its flavor, Emet-Selch brushing the plate and silverware to one side so that he might lean over the table, his brows knit.]
[How strange it is...this feeling. How long since he last spoke with utter authenticity. Not the truth, for truth's sake, but putting his own thoughts and emotions to words.]
If you would perhaps be willing to describe it in excruciating detail, then I might be provided some inkling.
[He says. His expression appears complicated, a brief moment of brevity - a hopeful quirk of his lips, before his expression turns serious once more. Emet-Selch folds his hands together on the table in front of him, shoulders squared as he shakes his head - Hythlodaeus may wish to withhold the fork a moment longer.]
The time you spent within Lord Zodiark, you mean? Aye, I knew where I might find you. What I did not know was what state I might find you in, nor what would occur should I attempt to retrieve you, nor whether you would come, having already made your decision.
Nay. My efforts were instead devoted entirely to the Rejoining, that you and everyone else might find some semblance of home to return to; as was our promise. Needless to say, we never dreamed that such a reunion would be so long in coming - not in the beginning at least.
[Another pause, and then.]
Hardly the most romantic of admissions, I confess. A paltry offering for your candor. Yet you should know that I do want you. As ever I did.
...As never I said.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 10:25 pm (UTC)[The fork goes down again. A little more slowly this time, carefully placed against the edge of the quiche and its accompaniments. Hythlodaeus moves out of his chair, though it's only to shift himself (and the chair) closer to the other man's side of the table.
Once there he takes hold of Hades' hand and lifts it to his lips to gently kiss it.]
And I should be very cross with you for taking this long to finally come out with it.
[Should be. By the Star, he should be! How long had he spent wanting to have him like this? They could have been— The things they could have had. It's infuriating. Hades is infuriating.
He's utterly infuriating, and Hythlodaeus utterly adores him, through and through.]
Just kiss me, would you? Before I start to cry and embarrass us both.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-16 02:36 pm (UTC)[It's enough to soothe even the hardest of hearts, he thinks - that sort of devotion.]
Such is your right. Though I daresay you have a most unusual way of showing it.
[Hythlodaeus doesn't seem cross. There are any number of reasons he could be, and yet he has been met only with compassion. A compassion he doesn't deserve, perhaps, but one he cannot help but yearn for.]
[Hades sighs, as if he's been holding his breath for the same span of time that he's kept this truth to himself. The backs of his fingers brush across Hythlodaeus's cheek softly, toying with the flyaway strands that curl over his ear.]
And what assurance do I have that you won't cry even if I do kiss you? But since you asked...
[He's aware enough of their surroundings. Hythlodaeus is close, his own back angled in such a way that there's little chance of most people seeing. And at the moment, a part of him isn't certain he cares. Let them see. Let them see just who - and what - he has longed for all these years.]
[He tilts Hythlodaeus's chin, his lips pressing to his. Chaste, but unhesitating.]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-16 04:45 pm (UTC)Not too late, he would hope, and not too little.
The demand was born of impatience laced with his usual good humour. Hythlodaeus couldn't be sure what Emet-Selch's reaction might be - if he might refuse outright or politely defer the request until later - but he finds himself pleasantly surprised on all counts.
A soft touch to his cheek, the brushing back of his hair... he feels himself flush pink but doesn't dare move. He wouldn't dare even chance to give Hades cause to doubt. The tilt of his chin has him leaning in a little, eyes dipping shut and heart pounding in anticipation, and finally the moment he has desired for so long crystallises into reality.
Hythlodaeus slips a hand into the other man's hair, gripping gently against it as if to hold him in place as he presses softly into that kiss, lingering in it for as long as he possibly can. When they part his eyelashes are wet and he wipes them quickly with the heel of his hand.]
Ah-hah. I didn't cry. [He might, still. He looks elated and overwhelmed all at once.] You do know how to keep a man waiting... but as ever, you don't disappoint.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-22 06:24 pm (UTC)[As if one taste could ever be enough.]
So you would claim when I have scarcely done anything - aside from wreck havoc on my own carefully laid plans.
[It's a mild complaint, and here he pauses, gently cupping Hythlodaeus's face. He looks as though he might let go at any moment - but he doesn't. Instead, he watches his friend, his expression lifting hopelessly - the mask slipping for just a moment into something far more tender and fond.]
You're welcome, by the way.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-22 10:03 pm (UTC)Then his brows raise a little, his heart skipping a beat with the way his old friend's expression softens and that ever-present mask lifts just enough for him to see the fondness behind it, and he lets out a quiet 'tch'.]
Welcome, am I..? [He doesn't recall that he thanked Hades for anything, but then again...
Hythlodaeus chuckles again, gently bumping their foreheads together for a moment.]
Oh, my dear, enigmatic love. [His heart is racing now. Maybe it had never stopped.] I'll allow some measure of gratitude that you finally found your nerve. [Another little bump, softer, before he leans in to murmur very quietly beside the other man's ear.]
But once we're finished here, I'm going to intimately acquaint you with everything you've been missing out on.
[His eyes softly glowing with mirth, he pulls back, and then pointedly steals a bite of Hades' pasta dish before he moves his chair back around the table. Then, in a completely normal tone as though he had not just blatantly - and in public, however quietly -propositioned Emet-Selch moments earlier, he adds;]
Does that fit in well with your plans?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-23 05:48 pm (UTC)My "nerve". Is that why you believe I waited so long? Because I somehow lacked the confidence to tell you outright?
[His grousing, too, is cut short, having scarcely escaped him when he feels Hythlodaeus's warm breath tickling his ear, the words seeming to hum and vibrate inside his head. He feels the tips of his ears grow hot, even as he wills his expression to careful neutrality.]
[It certainly doesn't sound like a poor offer. In fact, he scarcely needs to think about it at all with the way even his soul itself seems to shiver in interest.]
[There and gone; Emet-Selch is left to cluck his tongue at his friend's antics, staring pointedly at his now slightly less robust plate of noodles before he turns his attention back to his impish companion.]
Difficult to say, given there is now some overlap between your plans and mine. Then again, they were more of a loose guideline from the first, and not without room for revision.
[A crisp snap - fingers hidden beneath the table as Hythlodaeus's plate materializes in front of Emet-Selch. The man trims off a generous helping of the quiche with the side of his fork, depositing the crumbly pastry into his mouth, and scoots it back across the table to him. Tit for tat...and all that. He chews slowly first, contemplative.]
Yet at what point do we determine that we're finished here? I had my heart set on dessert.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-23 08:18 pm (UTC)Hythlodaeus makes a quiet, almost dismayed sound when he hears that snap, sees his plate vanish in front of him, and then it's his turn to pout as Hades takes a (in his opinion, far too generous) sample of his own meal before returning it.
Rude. Though, endearing, all the same.]
Oh, I'm sure we can take our time, if you're not in a rush.
[He smiles again, impish.]
And by all means we can have dessert. I quite fancied the cheesecake, myself. [Oh, how easily he settles back into casual conversation after what he had suggested was on the cards for them later that evening. Not that it is easy by any means. Truth be told he'd like nothing more than to rush Hades home right this minute, but a little anticipation would surely make things sweeter later on.]
Besides, we need some time to decide whose sheets we're going to be ruining.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-24 02:40 am (UTC)[A heavy sigh follows, a shake of his head. It is with the same sort of casual nature that Emet-Selch rests his chin on the heel of his hand - the elbow now quite brazenly propped against the table, some few ilms to the left of his plate.]
Such uncouth language, and not an onze of shame to be seen.
[With his free hand, he returns to threading noodles through his fork.]
You may return home with me. While I could hardly have predicted the exact course of the evening, I might have acted upon a number of considerations...in the event of a positive outcome, that is. Besides, it will give you another opportunity to raid my wine cabinet for some celebratory spirits. Though that is perhaps best saved for later. Much later, I should think.
[Emet-Selch blinks across the table at him as if they are settling some far more official matter than this mutual proposition of theirs.]
Is there ought else which requires discussion?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-24 11:48 am (UTC)He returns to his meal, cutting off a bite of the quiche with the side of his fork. It really is quite delicious. A fine choice.]
Mm, I do think I would rather have all my wits about me while we... [Well. He may be uncouth but he can still show some tact. His lips curve in another mischievous smile.
No need to finish that sentence. Emet-Selch knows exactly what he's implying.
He gives his fork a little wave.]
Ought else should certainly be discussed in private, I think. I have reached my limits for brazen audacity for the moment. [Much to his friend's relief, he's quite sure.] I'm sure your preparations for this most positive of outcomes have been suitably thorough.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-28 06:57 pm (UTC)[A short, if clear acknowledgment. Of course Emet-Selch knows what he's implying, as his thoughts had drifted in the very same direction. While he'll likely wish he had finished his plate, the pasta (tastefully prepared as it is), is starting to look far less appetizing than the man sitting across from him.]
[Emet-Selch studies the dish thoughtfully.]
I find I could get used to it - this brazen audacity of yours. Still, I'm inclined to agree. We've much ground to cover, and while one can only hope such talk is not nearly as exhaustive as your promised demonstration, I would prefer not to leave you with any unanswered questions tonight.
As for the preparations themselves, I am confident you will find them more than adequate.
[A wave of his hand as he meets that mischievous smile with one of his own.]
And if not, then I suppose we'll just have to improvise, won't we?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-28 10:34 pm (UTC)Well then. He didn't think Hades had it in him.]
I suppose we shall. I find myself quite looking forward to it.
[Understatement of the eon. Hythlodaeus' patience lasts through the rest of their meal but does not extend to dessert, which the two of them have boxed up to go before one of them ends up saying something far too out of turn for a public setting.
He's almost giddy with anticipation when they arrive back at Emet-Selch's door and he does not wait long after entering the house before he's setting the bag containing their boxed treats down by his feet and curling his slender fingers into the other man's collar. He catches his lip slightly between his teeth as he gives the fabric a light but meaningful tug.]
Hades.
[Hythlodaeus looks up at the man from under his eyelashes.]
I have waited long enough.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-29 03:39 am (UTC)[The quip is unnecessary, truly. A force of habit to fill the silence left in the wake of Hythlodaeus's...demand. For what else can he call such a firm assertion, one which leaves no room for misinterpretation? Hades's eyes are nearly blinding in the dim light of his living area. Here, there is no one else around to see, no one else around to hear, and little need to keep up any manner of appearance - save perhaps for his own pride.]
[Pride which, at the moment, is nearly drowned out by the way his own blood quickens in his veins, by just what those words do to him - and how much.]
[Hades takes a step forward, his hand sliding up the back of Hythlodaeus's spine as he meets that gaze, as he leans down - the what? scarcely an ilm or two between them - to kiss him again properly. He doesn't quite give in to the tug, however. Perhaps he's testing his luck - or gauging Hythlodaeus's desperation.]
[Still, the time for waiting is over, and so Hades speaks frankly, his breath still warm against Hythlodaeus's mouth.]
Tell me how you want me.
We should at least set the stage for the rest of the evening, should we not?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-29 04:01 am (UTC)He's hardly so shy that he's going to falter now. That kiss is answered hungrily, leaned up into as he keeps his grip on the other man's collar, and he just about manages not to whine when Hades draws away from him.
'Tell me how you want me.', he says, and Hythlodaeus' brain locks down for a moment. How is he supposed to answer that question? He has so many fantasies he scarcely has the words to describe them.]
I want to undress you. [Hythlodaeus tells him after a few moments of thought. His hands trail down the other man's chest with idle slowness.] And take my time to explore every inch of your skin.
[He inhales. His breathing shakes.]
I want you to touch me until all I can think about is you. I don't want to have a single thought in my head save for your name. [A button slides open under his thumb. He looks up at Hades again, meeting his eyes.] I want you to take me and I don't want you to tease too much. Not this time. I want to be yours, Hades, in every way you would mark me as such.
[That same hand moves up again, sliding into Hades' hair, gently combing through it.]
And I want you to be mine. I want to carve my love for you into your skin until it aches. [He's almost whispering, his eyes soft but earnest, meaning every word.]
I want you to make love to me like you've waited twelve thousand years to do it.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-30 01:52 pm (UTC)[Honest answers beget honest answers. There's no place for grumbling or teasing here, no room for misunderstanding. Idas has laid his heart bare. How then can he respond with anything less?]
[Hades exhales slowly, as if all of the tension and bluster is being evicted. He doesn't so much move, and yet he presses forward, ever so slightly, into that touch, lifting an arm to wind his fingers around the hand now combing through his hair - but doesn't stop its trajectory.]
What other way is there, love? Doubt you the span of years, or the breadth of my affection? 'Tis the only way I would know how to please you, and yet I could not tell you what such a thing would look like even if you asked me to.
[Hades meets his eyes.]
I would have you laid out beneath me with your hair tumbling across the pillows, your face cast in shadow so that I might drown myself in the color of your eyes. I would have you over me, leant forward so I may watch your delight and your ecstasy.
You speak of the flesh, and yet it is an ephemeral, borrowed thing. Yet if I were to mark you, I would engrave my love upon your very soul, so that you would never again have reason to doubt.
[He plucks the hand gently from his hair, presses his lips to the back of Hythlodaeus's hand before pressing it between his own. His gaze drifts, briefly, towards the door of his bedroom suite - still slightly ajar, with a warm, inviting golden glow spilling through the cracks.]
So go on. Explore to your heart's content. And perhaps in so doing you will see fit to lead me into sweet delirium, or drive me to the edge of tears. Mayhaps both at the same time.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-30 08:13 pm (UTC)And of course it is beyond anything he could have hoped to hear. He listens, enraptured once again by the other man's voice, while he speaks his heart with such eloquence and openness as Hythlodaeus has never quite heard from his lips. His heart swells close to cracking with it, brimming with emotion, the hand so gently clasped subtly trembling between warm palms.
Hades' attention drifts and his own goes with it, the barest of glances cast over his shoulder to that doorway before he's drawn back to the other man's face again. He pulls Hades' hands against his chest where his heart beats frantic and solid against his ribs and his still-free one slips nimble fingers around the back of his companion's neck to draw him in for another deep, warm kiss.]
I love you. [He's teased it. Hinted it. Now he puts it into plain words.] With all my heart and soul. With every mote of my being.
[Then he smiles, lowering their hands between them and snagging Hades' fingers as he steps back. Steps towards that inviting open door.]
Come. [Hythlodaeus tilts his head as his expression turns coy and soft all at once.] Let me show by actions what can never be adequately expressed in words.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-31 02:23 am (UTC)[Had his limbs not just been arranged in such a way, Hades would surely pull him in deeper still, instigate some of the desires Hythlodaeus had laid out for him. And yet it seems this discussion isn't over just yet. Hythlodaeus may as well be speaking music in place of words.]
[Hades is left to stare a moment, his fingers shifting against the loose fabric of Hythlodaeus's shirt, his eyelids drooping half-closed as he allows the notes to sweep over him again before - at last - he chuckles quietly, a single syllable both deep and fond.] I can feel it.
How fortunate I was planning to give you mine own heart. Yours seems fit to jump right out of your chest.
[He allows himself to be led towards his own bedroom, strange as it is. 'And a little early for that,' he thinks. His lips quirk briefly, and then his usual seriousness returns. Hythlodaeus had said that he shouldn't tease him too much. Which means he's still allowed to indulge in their usual games just enough.]
I would not have said your choice of words were inadequate. Still, if you believe you can do better, I'm not about to deny you your performance - assuming there will be some opportunity for audience participation...?
Do mind the bed, however.
[Hythlodaeus will discover what he means as soon as they pass the threshold. The bed itself is an expansive affair with clawed legs that stick out a few ilms too far, yet well-appointed with a tasteful array of pillows and soft cotton sheets. The rest of the room is unlike the remainder of the apartment. The furniture here is distinctly Amaurotine in design - similar but not quite the same as those from Hades's flat back in Achora Heights. The glow which had been streaming through reveals itself in the form of an expansive picture window, but what should be the grounds at Satori Hills and the Epiphany skyline instead show glimpses of another city altogether with its familiar spires and orderly lanes lined with wisteria trees. The scene melds almost artfully with the pots of purple flowers and draping ivy that occupy the balcony outside. For a mercy, perhaps, there are no signs of people - either real or illusory - simply this rose-tinted backdrop from their past.]
[He lets his fingers slide from Hythlodaeus's grasp, shifting to wrap his arms loosely around his companion's waist as he draws him back in before he can drift too far ahead.]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-31 03:38 am (UTC)And he knows this room. That view. His breath catches in his throat as he takes it all in with wide eyes.]
Oh...
[Caught in Hades' arms he stands transfixed, and just for a moment seems lost. Of course Hades would have something like this, sentimental as he is, but the most idle consideration had not prepared Hythlodaeus for the reality of seeing his home spread out before him.
He shakes it off, drawing his mind back to the present and the warm firmness of the body behind him. He tilts his head back against Emet-Selch's shoulder and presses a kiss against his cheek.]
You might have warned me. [Little more than a gentle reproach as he carefully turns in the other man's arms and drapes his own about his shoulders, playing with a lock of his pale hair.] How strange to be attired thus in such surroundings...
[They would have never. Hythlodaeus feels almost out of place in the light colours and layered fabric of his preferred clothing and he lightly toys with the collar of Hades' shirt as a smile returns to his expression.]
Yet there is no view so stunning as the one before me. [He says then, leaning in to brush a barely-there kiss to his lips.] Given the performance is mine, I trust you will be allowing me to lead..?
[Oh, how his eyes twinkle as he says that.]
Sit down for me, my love. Allow me the indulgence of taking care of you.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-31 01:40 pm (UTC)And ruin the surprise? [He murmurs next to his ear, laying a kiss along the back of his neck.] I did mention that I had made suitable preparations, I think. Consider it my attempt at setting a romantic ambiance.
[His hold upon him loosens as Hythlodaeus turns and settles again facing him, and this time when his arms slip around his waist, he squeezes ever so gently.]
And you needn't find it so strange. Express yourself as you see fit, Idas. After all, you won't be needing these for terribly much longer if my hunch is correct.
[His eyelids droop again, watching him, as Idas toys with the feathery down of his hair, the flecks in his eyes shifting and sparking of their own accord.]
['Allowing'! And oh, his natural reaction is to grumble and make it seem as though he doesn't want this just as much as Idas does. After all, how often has he ever agreed to anything without putting up some manner of fuss? The man sighs, scowling back at those mirthful eyes, even as his breast fairly flutters with anticipation and the same sort of eagerness Idas must surely feel himself.]
For now, maybe. But don't think I won't take up the reins again should you let your attention waver.
[Not that it will. Not with the way Idas continues to humor him with light touches and tiny token kisses so that he finds himself wishing for them with more and more regularity. Having said as much, Hades reluctantly releases the other man, sauntering over to sit on the edge of the bed as if it had been his idea from the start, his arms folded in his lap as he looks up at his would-be lover expectantly. Will-be lover, rather.]
At your leisure.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-31 01:59 pm (UTC)Hades sits, suddenly appearing so prim and proper that it makes Hythlodaeus giggle, and he moves over to the other man to cup his jawline with both hands. He leans down to kiss him, first light and then pressing in more deeply as he urges his soon-to-be lover up along the bed and then onto his back, where he leans over him and slides one knee up between his thighs.
Their surroundings only become all the more striking under such conditions. He could fool himself that they were home again, that he had not waited so long after all, that...
He sits up to shrug a layer off. His light jacket (not wanting to deprive Hades of undressing him in turn) before his fingers set to work sliding open each button of the other man's shirt. Once the fabric parts he presses a warm and lingering kiss to the centre of Hades' chest and lingers there a moment to listen to his heart beating.
Surely the most beautiful sound he has ever heard... Yet that opinion still has time to be amended tonight.
His lips quickly find Hades' again, all that warming passion in the kiss while he gently pins one of the man's hands just above his head and slowly, almost experimentally rolls his thigh down against Hades' groin.]
Will you tell me what you like? [He asks softly, barely parting from him for the words.] Or am I to be granted the pleasure of trying things until I find out?
[Would Hades even have the patience for that? Would Hythlodaeus? He can already feel his skin burning under his clothes.]
no subject
Date: 2024-06-05 04:07 am (UTC)[He's starting to get used to this - the feel of fingers against his jaw, the taste of his friend's lips - more forceful and confident this time as he's corralled further up the bed and then pressed into the mattress as if he belongs there. And truly, it isn't the worst of places to be. Already he can feel the growing interest between his legs, the heat rising low in his stomach as Idas leans over him, that knee hovering oh-so-dangerously close.]
[It's almost a relief when his shirt is negotiated open, when cool air caresses his exposed skin just moments before Idas settles in close. There isn't much of note to look at, he thinks, other than the jagged lines of a pale white starburst that extends from the bottom of his pectoral muscles to just above his navel. It isn't a scar really, simply an impressionof one. And if Hades shivers slightly, it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with the warm breath ghosting over his chest and the way his heart thunders like a storm raging in the distance.]
[Hades snorts quietly, and for his part he's behaving - mostly, laid out upon the bed as he is, his one free arm propped up beneath him so that he's afforded some manner of participation in the proceedings (or at least a decent view). He flexes the hand pinned above his head with a grunt of annoyance, his effort to free it half-hearted at best, though certainly better than nothing.]
[What he does see to is that the interruption is brief, his mouth reclaiming Idas with a slowly mounting hunger the moment his question is finished. After all, Idas isn't the only one falling victim to the flames, and he is not about to simply lay down and twiddle his thumbs - not that he could do so in the first place.]
And ruin all the fun? [He huffs, the only indication that he's affected at all present in the color that slowly creeps along his ears and neck.] I can't imagine you'd be so quick to turn down the challenge, let alone a more hands-on approach.
[The hint is there, if he wishes it, and if that isn't enough, Hades shifts so that his back is flat against the sheets, freeing his arm to rest a hand against Hythlodaeus's leg, nudging it slightly to one side and exactly one ilm forward in case he'd like to keep trying.]
no subject
Date: 2024-06-06 10:21 pm (UTC)You might soften your tone a fraction, you know. [He chides gently, fondly, as if he does not expect anything of the sort. Still, it might be nice if he did not have to pry it out of him.] Though you are right. I've been thinking about getting my hands on you all evening.
[Something that he had made entirely obvious in the words he had murmured so mischievously into Hades' ear.
He slides his leg that single ilm forwards along with that subtle, nudging direction, an amused smile on his face as he follows Hades' unspoken instruction. A sigh breathes out of him as he uses the new position to slowly roll down against the other man again, catching his mouth in another kiss as his fingertips trace the outline of the pale starbust mark on his chest.]
Trying things it is, then.
[Since he's going to be so stubborn about it. Hythlodaeus really shouldn't have expected anything else.
The rolling pressure of his thigh is replaced by his hand as he traces the shape of Hades' cock in his pants. His breathing shivers in excited anticipation. He doesn't want to rush but already feels that they are both wearing far, far too many clothes.]
But first... everything needs to come off. I trust you'll be obliging in that, at least?
no subject
Date: 2024-06-11 03:03 am (UTC)[Hades presses, his gaze following Hythlodaeus as he readjusts his position, watching to see how he responds to his words, weighing his sighs and his smiles against the requests he's seen fit to utter aloud. Or the words he'd whispered to him earlier - perhaps that's why his ears still feel warm.]
Some would call it "experimentation", you know.
[Better, he thinks, as he affords his friend a little more room to work, as he buries his fingers in Hythlodaeus's hair, shivering in response to that feather-light touch and choosing to focus instead on the warmth of his mouth and the building need trapped beneath far too many layers of fabric. It isn't until Hythlodaeus decides to take matters into his own hands - quite literally, in fact - that Hades' breathing genuinely stutters, his hips jerking upwards in a way that is mostly restrained but also clearly unplanned.]
[Hythlodaeus will find him half-hard already. Stubborn as he is, there is promise beneath that touch even as Hades insists on maintaining much of his usually grouchy facade.]
[Even so, he can count the few times he's heard of a better suggestion than this.]
Whilst I do agree, surely some manner of negotiation is in order. Perhaps a fraction of the sweet-talking you so desire, in exchange for the use of my arm? Even now the wretched thing is falling asleep, and what will we do later if I've an honest need of it, hm?
[He attempts to waggle it, allowing his fingers to flop about in unison as if to illustrate his point. After a moment, and with a mild shrug, Hades appears to grow more serious, toying with the loose ends of Hythlodaeus's hair with his other - unhindered and yet free.]
"I want to undress you" was the first thing you said, after all. Meaning it's a crucial step in what we wish to accomplish tonight.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-11 10:51 am (UTC)Oh, he likes that. He very much likes the way he feels Hades' body jolt under his hand, but he bites his lip and doesn't draw too much attention to it save to add another teasing roll of his palm.]
A little sweet talking for the use of an entire arm? That seems an entirely unbalanced trade. [Hythlodaeus smiles, mischievous, but Hades has a point. He did want very much to undress him and and he fully intends to follow through with that particular desire regardless of how sweetly the other man speaks to him.
With a puff of air that seems to speak of amused resignation, Hythlodaeus frees Hades' hand and pushes himself up, shifting position so he's lightly straddling the man's thighs. The brazenness of the position does give him cause to colour slightly but he's still smiling as traces a fingertip over Hades' pale chest, stroking it along the edge of the mark that spans down across his stomach.]
You are a lovely sight, you know. [He murmurs. There's something soft in it - warm and fond all at once - as his eyes shift over the image laid out before him. Hythlodaeus never really made a secret of the fact he found Hades to be handsome though all comments towards it were always made in some kind of jest, but he's sure he has never found the other to be quite so stunning as he looks right now.] But if you must know... no, not just this evening. Several other evenings as well, in fact. Mornings and afternoons, and the occasional night.
[No harm in fluffing his ego a little, is there.
Hythlodaeus' nimble fingers go to his belt, the button of his trousers, easily unbuckling and unbuttoning.]
I expect that the reality will be far more satisfying than anything my imagination might conjure up.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-03 02:59 am (UTC)...ha! You think it unbalanced? Honeyed words and a silver tongue do not come freely, and I highly suspect you will be changing your tune once I've had sufficient opportunity to make the most of our trade.
[Not that he possesses a chance to make good on that declaration at the moment. Before he can do much of anything at all, Hythlodaeus has moved to perch astride him, and Hades can think of few places he would rather the other man be. Oh, if he were to only shift closer to him, he would see about ridding Hythlodaeus of his garments immediately. Instead, his eyes hold a challenge, and Hades compromises by running his hands up Hythlodaeus's legs to rest atop his knees.]
...though I may be in the process of revising my own thoughts.
[Spoken lightly, with a dismissiveness that should make clear that said thoughts do not entail changing his mind by any means. He pets at him fondly, his gaze trained upon Hythlodaeus's face with bright interest - at least until said "ego-fluffing" begins to take place.]
Thus sayeth the wisteria blossom. Did we not agree to keep the teasing to a minimum? I can only accept so many compliments in a single sitting, you know.
[A quiet huff follows, Hades leaning his head to one side, still watching him. He makes no move to bar Hythlodaeus's path, nor to halt him with his words.]
Were you to ask me, I would tell you that nights are most conducive to dreaming.
[A half-hearted grumble follows, and although Hades doesn't seem nervous by any definition of the word, he does perhaps appear mildly embarrassed.]
And I would also remind you that appearance is not an indicator of performance.
[Not that he has anything at all to be worried about, truly. Little way to hide his arousal now.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-03 05:48 pm (UTC)And yet Hythlodaeus finds himself so incredibly buoyed by the familiarity of it. The situation they are in right now is a strange one in all respects and yet... the man continues to be so irrepressibly himself. All sharp words and grumbling that Hythlodaeus now, as he ever did, sees right through for the bluster that it is. He has always known just how far he can push his friend.
Though, he thinks he might be coming to the end of the other man's patience.]
Hah...
[It's his own performance that is a concern and his own arousal is not well-hidden either, having peaked even further at the very evident pressure of Hades' cock under his ass. Hythlodaeus swallows once, shaking his head in faint amusement as he continues to hold back the tide of his own nerves. This is not the time to allow it to get the better of him.]
I don't find myself with any concerns about your performance. [Do allow him to admire the aesthetics for a moment!] But...
[His gaze wavers for a moment. His fingertips linger at the lowermost point of the scar on Hades' chest before he looks up again, something faintly imploring in his expression.]
I confess to being somewhat out of practice myself, and I may have somewhat overshot my level of confidence. [The smile that comes next is small and semi-awkward.] I don't suppose you'd be opposed to thoroughly ravishing me.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-05 03:34 am (UTC)[This isn't quite the sort of confession Hades was expecting, and it shows in the way his eyes widen in pure, uninhibited bafflement. An unguarded expression that makes plain he had assumed Hythlodaeus had some manner of plan in motion, and that things had been proceeding accordingly.]
[He doesn't seem angry, however. Nor disappointed. And it's only some seconds into his quiet staring that Hades's expression smooths out, his eyes slipping shut for a breath before he opens them again, his hands smoothing once more over Hythlodaeus's thighs. He shuffles his shoulders so that he's propped more becomingly against the pillows, ready to draw himself up into a half-reclining position if needed.]
[Finally, he nods.]
Very well, then. If you should first like to finish freeing me of these restrictive trappings, I shall take the lead - for now.
Though I will not promise a thorough ravishing just yet. After all, what sport is there in wearing you out from the onset when our dance has only begun?
[Hades reaches up, the back of his hand glancing gently against Hythlodaeus's cheek, his expression turning soft and reassuring.]
Relax, love. Simply let yourself feel and respond in the way that is most natural to you.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-05 04:23 am (UTC)He tilts his head towards that soft brush against his cheek and allows himself to relax, releasing a tension he hadn't realised was gathering in his shoulders.]
... All right.
[If that is to be the way of it. Hythlodaeus smiles and leans down to catch the other man's lips in a warm and lingering kiss.]
When you put it like that, how can I do anything else?
[Another quick kiss follows, like a punctuation mark, and Hythlodaeus sets to work divesting Hades of his clothing. He takes his time, though not so much as to further test either of their patience, and plants the occasional kiss to the skin he lays bare.
The curve of his neck. A shoulder. His chest and stomach, trailing down to his navel where Hythlodaeus pauses to mark him with a gentle nip of teeth.
Shirt and shoes are pitched over the side of the bed. The trousers are next and Hythlodaeus' lips find the inside of Hades' thigh, a smile pressed into the warm skin and firm muscle before he sits up.
He looks at the other man as one would a thing of wonder.
Magnificent.
Hythlodaeus pulls his own shirt off to give some relief from the way his skin feels as if it's burning. Under it he is surprisingly broad-shouldered, lithe and all slender, compact muscle. An archer's build, without a doubt. He shakes his hair free of its braid in almost the same movement.]
You've been terribly obliging. I feel rather spoiled.
[The mischief-maker tilts his head and smiles. His lilac eyes shine.]
But if you would consider yourself sufficiently unrestrained... [Fingertips on Hades' chest again, tripping over his ribs and pausing to teasingly roll around a nipple.] I want you to touch me.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-08 12:24 am (UTC)[In fact, it isn't until Hythlodaeus's attention turns into the barest scrape of teeth that Hades bites back a gasp, trembling as he yet attempts to keep himself in check. By the time his slacks are cast aside, well, it's all he can do not to squirm beneath the warm press of Hythlodaeus's mouth. He lays there too clear-headed to be feverish, yet smoldering all the same, his desire - everything - made so plain that perhaps it should feel obscene.]
[Yet he cannot think too much upon that, for he lifts his eyes in time to watch as Hythlodaeus removes his own shirt, as his braid shakes loose to cascade down his shoulders in waves.]
[Hythlodaeus has always been beautiful. Like this, however, he's certain the very sight could rend weaker hearts in twain. By the star, it's infuriating. Who, precisely, is the ravishing one now, hm?]
[Hades looks pointedly away, feeling his ears once again flushing hot. He would like very much to feign some manner of self-restraint, and yet his mutinous cock chooses this precise moment to twitch in interest. It doesn't help that those clever fingers should choose to wander again, their teasing finally causing that restraint to snap in the form of a muffled whine.]
[Hades glowers up at him, his pupils all but consumed by the fire-bright emotion flickering in his narrowed gaze, his chest heaves, and then Hades is grasping carefully but firmly at his friend's wrists, shifting his weight so that he might gain enough leverage to roll Hythlodaeus to one side next to him.]
Yes, because you've made absolutely certain of that, haven't you?
Honestly. [He huffs, his hands sweeping lightly over his lover's torso before going immediately to the next set of buttons barring his path, intent on divesting Hythlodaeus of what remains of his clothing.]
You'll be lucky if I can recall how to keep my hands to myself ever again.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-08 12:55 am (UTC)He would not brush aside the fact that it is him and what he has been doing that has reduced Hades to this. In fact, he delights in the reality of it, lightly biting on his lower lip as he notes that twitch and considers doing something about it, only for the low whine that follows to send a shock of arousal through him so potent that it almost robs him of breath.
There is no resistance from him when he's taken hold of and moved. He giggles warmly, stretching out beneath Hades' attention while the other works to unfasten his clothing, and lets one arm rest by his head while the other toys with Hades' hair.]
You have only yourself to blame for being so diligent in firing my courage. [He says playfully, lifting his hips to make the removal of his trousers easier.] And if I should like you to have your hands on me as often as possible, what then?
[Gently, he curls his fingers against the back of his friend's ear, as if he might try to tug him into kiss him. He doesn't follow through with it, though, leaving Hades to make the decision of where he will go next.]
I would have you make every inch of me yours, as I have long desired.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-08 03:00 am (UTC)"Diligent", he says. All I did was speak the truth. How you chose to interpret those words was hardly my doing.
As if I would leave you to fumble about in a cloud of uncertainty.
[He slides the pants off of him with Hythlodaeus's assistance, pausing to admire the effect he's had on him - more obvious than ever there beneath his undergarments. He feels breathless, but he continues, hooking his fingers into the waistband and peeling those off of him as well.]
Then we are in for a great deal of trouble. Fortunately my intentions for you are not limited to the pursuit of pleasure. We'll have plenty of moments in between to indulge in the sentimental journey together. Doing "couple" things, catching up, learning how to effectively irritate one another.
And. Our practice won't be changing. Unless, of course, you are up for the challenge of making music whilst half of your fingers are preoccupied.
[Hades's gaze returns to his face, and this time his smile is less restrained. He smooths Hythlodaeus's hair back behind his shoulders.]
Worry not. I'll leave you be so that you might catch your breath on occasion, so that you might have time to look back and think of our time together and daydream about me touching you again.
[Hades decides not to take the hint of those fingers behind his ear. But he does decide to use his mouth, his lips brushing the sensitive skin of Hythlodaeus's long neck before he shifts lower to nibble at the junction where neck meets shoulder- gentle at first, and then a bit more sharply as his fingers skate down the lines of his chest, and lower still to tease the underside of his arousal.]
[Hades murmurs against his skin, tracing his collarbone with his mouth.]
Shall I make it so that every mote of your aether yearns for me?
no subject
Date: 2024-07-08 03:16 am (UTC)The things that smile does to him should be against some kind of law. Hades is such a handsome man and even more so with such a look on his face - it's all Hythlodaeus can do to not flip them again and kiss him until he can barely breathe. Behaving himself takes an effort and he curls his fingers against the pillow by his head as his breathing trembles on an inhale.]
And here I thought I had known you long enough that I had already reached the pinnacle of knowledge in how to irritate you.
[That he could find ways to annoy Hades more than he is already capable of is an interesting thought, though one quickly swept away by the man's teeth nipping against his skin and that wickedly clever hand—]
Oh, please... [Hythlodaeus gasps, his hips twitching up to that teasing touch. His brow furrows, fingers clenched into fabric while the other grips against Hades' back.
He had not realised how tightly wound he already was until that one touch threatened to shatter him.]
Don't make me beg.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-09 01:54 am (UTC)[And herein lies a truth that belies Hythlodaeus's protests. One does not simply come by such a physique through no effort of his own. Bearing witness to him thus feels like a gift, and he suspects he will quite enjoy carrying out Hythlodaeus's instructions to make every ilm of him his own. Rather than pull away, Hades humors him by wrapping his fingers more securely around his length, allowing his thumb to brush with warm purpose over the head. He dips his head lower, tracing a path down the center of Hythlodaeus's chest to press a chaste kiss over his heart. Hades's lips turn upwards into a smirk, as he gazes up at him.]
Should I not? You did mention that you're somewhat out of practice. With that in mind, I can hardly be faulted for helping. And, I confess, I am having a great deal of "fun" now that the tables have been turned and I am the one who is teasing you.
[He shifts closer, his hand beginning to work in earnest - careful but deliberate. He presses another kiss to the center of his abdomen, the smug gleam in his eyes turning more serious.]
Would you have me bring you to your conclusion this way? Or perhaps you will hold out until I have taken you properly.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-09 11:06 pm (UTC)You're terrible. [He half-protests, then curling his toes as the stroking begins in earnest and he feels sparks fly across his nerves. It has been a while, even the twelve thousand years a shade notwithstanding, and he has wanted Hades so much for so long--]
Ngh-- [Is all he can manage for a moment. He takes a few steady breaths to gather up enough stray thoughts that he might say something at least halfway coherent. He reaches down to lightly pet Hades' hair.]
Why make such a difficult choice when I have stamina enough for both? [He twitches his hips up into the man's hand, puffing out a sharp breath. As it stands he doubts he would make it through the preparation in any case, and he thinks Hades deserves to enjoy himself to the fullest as well.] Please, my love. I need you.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-28 07:14 pm (UTC)[He agrees, allowing his voice to trail off into silence, lost beneath the sound of Hythlodaeus's protest and his attempts to steady his breathing. But he did agree that he wouldn't tease him too much and thus... does Hades change position again, retrieving - as promptly as he can - something that will make this more comfortable for them both. His hand retreats but a moment, and when it returns he uses it not only to work against Hythlodaeus, but to guide his own cock hot and heavy against his, providing Hythlodaeus with what he can only hope is more than ample friction. He leans down to lay another kiss over his heart, reverent despite his words.]
Such determination.
[Well then. He supposes they shall both see if Hythlodaeus can put his words to proof. He presses his lips against his bared chest once more as he shifts against him, speaking quietly - as if a private aside is truly necessary when they are the only two here, in this room.]
Let me hear you, then, my Idas. You will have as much of me as you require until I have wrung every onze of passion from your body. [He pauses to bite back a groan, willing the sensation not to take hold of him just yet.] Does that please you?
[If he's going to be greedy about it, he will certainly provide as much as Hythlodaeus can take - provided he doesn't exhaust himself first.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-29 01:04 am (UTC)Perhaps that he might be lost.]
Hades...
[He rocks himself up into the other man's grip, biting his own lip to hold in another sound as a shudder of pleasure runs through him from head to foot. As delightful as the idea of taking control of Hades had been he cannot help but find a delerious kind of satisfaction in this turn of events.]
I think-- Nnh... I think... there is little you could do that would not please me.
[Stars, but that extra heat and friction against his cock is almost maddening. He gulps in another breath that turns into a shivering, shaking moan, his hand curling so his fingernails dent into Hades' skin.
He whines the other man's name again, softly, and how funny it is that he could be so unused to this now. Hythlodaeus is no stranger to his own body nor to having other's hands and lips upon it, so how is it that Hades can make it all seem so very new? He gives the shoulder under his vice-grip a little tug, trying to pull his lover up for a kiss.]
Mmn--... you're so good, my Hades... [A quick breath puffs out of him.] Do be sure not to neglect your own pleasure, won't you..?
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 12:00 am (UTC)[Hades has found their rhythm now, matching the earnest rocking of Hythlodaeus's hips with the motions of his hand and the slide of his own length accompanying his. He tries to lose himself within it, less focused on precision and calculations, and instead lets himself bask for a moment in this space where his beloved is repeating his name with slowly growing urgency. Where the digging of Hythlodaeus's fingers into his shoulder stokes the primal fire within him. Where such gentle, loving praise is very nearly enough to consume his sense of reason, make him descend upon the other man with ferocious ardor. If this is "good", then what words would Hythlodaeus use to describe such an act? Would he even be capable of words?]
[Hades groans deeply, his eyes simultaneously dark and dazzling with a kaleidoscope of color; he quickens his pace. And when the pressure at his shoulder at last becomes almost too much to bear, he impatiently surges forward to claim Hythlodaeus's mouth again, sloppy and nearly breathless.]
You were right. I can think of of none better suited-- to play that music for me.
[If it went something like this, he could listen to it a thousand, thousand times.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 12:21 am (UTC)He will have less speaking, he thinks, though he has barely had the chance to pull his lover in for another kiss before his toes are curling, his body stiffening as a noisy groan spills out of him, and he has to break away to cry out softly as he vainly battles his impending orgasm.
The pleasure being lavished on him won't be denied. Hythlodaeus feels his body grow hot, everything reduced to the points of contact between he and Hades, and he moans again with a reedy whine of the other man's name as teeth dig against his shoulder and Hythlodaeus tries to muffle his moans as he climaxes.
His hips twitch and shake, pleasure fizzing along his nerves as he unabashedly makes a mess of himself. It feels like time stretches out, but finally he collapses limply against the bed and gasps in a few breaths.]
Oh—
[Hythlodaeus says, and that is all there is to say for a moment while he cards his fingers through Hades' hair.]
Oh, you are magnificent.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 03:38 am (UTC)[It's instinctual; all of the pomp and bluster fairly spent, so that when Hythlodaeus moves to drag him down into another kiss, Hades is prepared to acquiesce - and with fervor. And yet it is not meant to be, for no sooner do they collide again, than he feels the change in Hythlodaeus, the way he grows rigid beneath him, punctuated by a heated crescendo.]
[For a split second, he thinks, perhaps he will not finish like this. Perhaps he will simply find his pleasure in watching his lover reach a natural conclusion, spent and dishelved and achingly radiant. And yet he finds he is wrong. That stinging pain at his shoulder, the throaty cry Hythlodaeus tries to bury into his skin, and the warm seed spilling between his fingertips proves more than enough to cast him over the precipice after him. His body jerks, a low moan the only warning before Hades follows suit, making a mess of them both before slumping forward, his arm quivering in its valiant effort to keep him propped up, rather than collapsed into a heap.]
[Hades pants above him, and 'tis true, Hythlodaeus himself is a sight. Yet it's one he thinks he could easily grow used to, one which beneath it all makes clear thar someone is wholly pleased and content with himself.]
[Words fail him this time, little more than a croak as he bows his head into the attention, waiting until he feels Hythlodaeus grow soft in his grasp before pulling his hand away.]
This is only a prelude...as you will recall.
[He slumps further, hesitating to make use of his other hand to brush the stray wisps from Hythlodaeus's face and finally thinking better of it.]
You very much look the part of the world's most exquisite disaster. Though I can scarce describe the things that does to me...
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 10:05 am (UTC)He hums softly, half agreement and half satisfaction, and he lets the afterglow of it all sink into him with not another care in his head.]
Lost for words, with all of your eloquence..? [Hythlodaeus chuckles and curls a lock of white hair around his fingers, pecking a light kiss to Hades' lips.] A sight I shall be committing to memory, I think.
[As sense slowly creeps back into his boneless limbs he stretches and sighs, curling one arm over his head while the other continues to toy with the other man's hair.]
But, if you will permit me... [Carefully, he pushes himself up onto his elbows, and he coaxes Hades to turn until he's on his back again.] I believe I can offer you some momentary reprieve to gather your senses. [There is a quiet, wry confidence in his eyes that had been harder to see before as he stretches himself out alongside his lover, hooking one leg loosely over him and planting a few kisses to his face.
Nimble fingers trace along the curve of his neck, the faint dent of the bite left in his shoulder, the sweep of a rib... Hythlodaeus hums again, entirely besotted, and his lips follow the trail of his fingertips over passion-warmed skin as he teases back and forth against a nipple with the pad of his thumb.
Allowing Hades to gather any kind of sense is clearly not what is on Hythlodaeus' mind at all.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 02:21 pm (UTC)[It becomes clear, however, that Hades won't be able to keep himself aloft forever. There's a mild grunt of protest, but when he is negotiated onto his back once more, Hades goes willingly, his breathing deep and irregular like broken waves as he comes back down to earth once more, letting his limbs stretch out where they will. His eyes still hold a vacant if dazzling hue, the blacks of his pupils entirely swallowed up by bright rings of color and a rustling beneath him indicates that he has lost control of the glamour that typically obscures his wings from view, although he seems too overwhelmed to pay them any mind.]
[For a time.]
[Only for a time.]
What reprieve?
[Hades at last puffs out, the inquiry ending on a whine as he tries in vain to squirm away from Hythlodaeus's clever fingers. It is much too soon for that! To think that even now he's denied a moment's rest...!]
[Yet he cannot be too sorry about it. Hythlodaeus seems incredibly smug in the moment, and if this persists, it can only bode well for the future. Oh, but if only he would allow him to gather his words. He still feels overheated and shivery and far too sensitive to bear this sort of attention, much less gather up more than the leftover dregs of a complaint with which to defend himself.]
Here I thought you were helping, but in truth you're being positively wicked. Insatiable creature... taking advantage when I'm vulnerable...
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 02:53 pm (UTC)Did you expect anything else of me, my love? [The tone of his voice is unmistakably mischievous as he nips his teeth lightly against Hades' chest before lifting his head, looking at him for a moment in his delightfully wrecked state. And Hythlodaeus was the one looking the part of an exquisite disaster..? Hades can have no idea how stunning he is.]
You know that I will stop if you ask. [He does not expect Hades to ask. At least, not to mean it if he does.
The rustling and appearance of those wings of his does not go unnoticed either. Hythlodaeus shifts, strokes his fingers over the shifting feathers and then smooths his palm over the delicate bone supporting the structure.]
These are lovely, too...
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 04:50 pm (UTC)[Hythlodaeus will find that these particular wings are nothing at all like Hades's true form, these instead being all soft, downy feathers, free of any sharp angles or pointed edges. The color seems to shift in the light, purest black in shadow and a pearlescent gradient of golds and violets when the illusory sunbeams strike upon them just right. They quiver beneath Hythlodaeus's touch, and Hades sucks in another breath, trying (in vain) to drag himself a little further beyond arm's reach. His skin flushes pink. Just as sensitive as the rest of him, apparently.]
If you're going to admire me, at least be tidy about it.
[For they are still, indeed, a mess. Hades swipes an arm over his forehead, damp with perspiration, and tries again to collect himself. He would comment upon Hythlodaeus's newfound appetite, but there is something thrilling (if a touch scandalous) in the thought of Hythlodaeus wanting to place his mark upon him again and again.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-30 05:21 pm (UTC)[Oh, Hades. His expression softens and he drops back to his elbow again, leaning in to capture another kiss while his free hand roams over that flushed and sweat-damp chest. They are indeed still a mess but he cares very little about that when he's planning to be even more of a mess before the evening is out.
He sees the signs of Hades trying to pull himself back together all too easily and smiles against his lips while that wickedly roaming hand slips teasingly between his legs, coming to rest against the tender skin of his inner thigh. There's nothing else but the promise of what he might do next as he lets the touch linger.]
I want to take you. [Hythlodaeus says then, quietly, leaning in to kiss against his shoulder.] May I?
[He cannot help but wonder how his name might sound cried out on Hades' lips. His body shivers with the thought of it, and though he does not plan to rush them to another climax too quickly... he cannot help his rapidly returning eagerness.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-31 12:09 am (UTC)Already? [He inquires hoarsely, nudging against Hythlodaeus's chest in a half-hearted sort of manner, one which ends with his palm simply resting there over his beating heart.] Why the rush?
[It isn't as if he's going anywhere, though he will admit he quite likes the sound of such a request. If he resists long enough, what might Hythlodaeus do to convince him? Will he beg for the honor?]
[Hades tries to shift and make himself more comfortable - difficult with the pair of wings trapped beneath his shoulders. He must look restless with the way he flexes his shoulders and leans to one side, his thighs digging against that hand a little.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-31 12:18 am (UTC)[His head tilts, and he smiles that mischievous smile of his.]
You should have no trouble with bringing forth a washcloth to tidy yourself to your satisfaction.
[Creation magic requiring clarity of thought and being somewhat of an exacting endeavour, Hythlodaeus knows well that his current activities are keeping Hades from being able to do just that very thing.
He does, though, briefly pass his gaze over the man's wings and a tiny frown of concern flickers over his face.]
Are you uncomfortable? Sit up if you must.
[He might like to get a better look at those wings if given the opportunity, in any case...]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-31 03:13 am (UTC)Gangly things, always getting in the way. Is it any wonder that one of my first orders of business was finding a means to glamour them away? Works most of the time. Though less so when... distracted.
[Huffing, he settles for rolling over onto his side towards Hythlodaeus, and this time the press of his legs around that questing hand is likely not an oversight - enough to meet admonishment with admonishment, yet not enough to cause either Hythlodaeus's hand, nor himself, unreasonable discomfort.]
Make me an offer and I will think about it. Since you are in no rush, apparently, and already seem to be having a marvelous time tormenting me. Were you aware that your eyes crinkle when you are up to no good?
no subject
Date: 2024-07-31 08:34 am (UTC)Do you need such a tell to see when I have a mind for mischief? [He challenges playfully as his hand slides up along the curve of Hades' hip and then lifts, his fingertips walking step by step against the other man's shoulder and then curling loosely into his hair as he pulls him in for another kiss.
The distraction of his lips on Hades' is used as an opportunity, of course, to press himself close and fit his body against his lover's, teasingly nudging his knee against the narrow gap between Hades' thighs. He is wicked, terrible, an insatiable little creature, and he knows it, but for all his teasing he isn't pushing things too far just yet.]
Make you an offer..? [He murmurs against Hades' lips, a small smile on his own as the kiss lingers.] Are you proposing a negotiation before you give any ground to my desires? [Another brief kiss brushes his lips between one breath and the next.] You do not seem to realise your current disadvantage.
[That is, that Hythlodaeus is miraculously more put together right now than Hades is managing to be, and that nimble hand of his is somehow managing to be everywhere. As he speaks the final word he trails his fingers down Hades' spine, between his shoulder blades and the places where wings meet skin, and he lightly bumps their foreheads together.]
And, I might say... you only have yourself to blame for my boldness.
no subject
Date: 2024-09-07 05:24 pm (UTC)[He could share that he finds a certain charm in these expressions, but he will leave such sentimentalities unspoken, something for Hythlodaeus to pick apart at his leisure. Another impatient huff soon follows, though whether he likes it or no, Hades yet refrains from ordering Hythlodaeus to stop. The touches are playful, benign... mostly benign. And Hades has little to add when Hythlodaeus pulls him in for yet another kiss. He's still a little breathless, really - marked by the clumsy way he pulls back once or twice for air - yet when he returns, it is always with a sweetness that feels intentional - as if he is making a concerted effort to set his usual temper aside for his lover's sake.]
[Or would, if Hythlodaeus didn't continue to test it. Hades finds himself set upon again, a mild protest muffled against their joined lips, though this time he decides to be a little wicked back, making a point to shift forward just enough so that he brushes himself pointedly against the intrusion of that knee. He's hardly as insatiable as his partner in this, but that doesn't mean he can't be coaxed to readiness again - with enough patience and persuasion.]
[It won't take much.]
[Hythlodaeus is warm, all soft skin and firm build. And really, who's to stop him if he allows his own hands to drift around his waist and up along the muscles of his back and shoulders. 'Tis only fair when Hythlodaeus himself is practically molded against him, as close as he can get. He shivers again, gasping as those fingers slip into the far-too-sensitive region where flesh becomes feathers, his wings fluttering quite against his will, stirring the air and causing shadows to scurry along the walls.]
[At last he breaks away again, panting silently. His eyes narrowed as he stares into that winsome face. 'Twill be difficult to negotiate at all - like this.]
I am not in the habit of blaming myself for a mutually desirable outcome.
[Another thin beating of wings, and this time he attempts to stretch his shoulders into it without moving their faces apart by even an ilm.] But fine. Show me how you would do it, and then we shall see.
["Show me how you would take me," he does not clarify, but he continues watching him, as if to see what he plans to do next.]
no subject
Date: 2024-09-14 01:38 am (UTC)As you insist.
[Creation magic has never been entirely his forte but he can at least manage to procure the small bottle that appears in his hand with a small swirl of aether and pieced-together concentration. After all, 'tis hardly difficult to call to mind what he desires to appear in his instance.
With it tucked in hand he gently nudges the other man's legs apart and shifts to place himself between them, lowering his head to nip a small kiss to the inside of one of his thighs. It may end up being more than Hades has the patience for, but he did ask, and while the bottle's contents gradually warm against Hythlodaeus' palm he turns his attention to his partner's cock, lightly lapping his tongue along the length before taking the head into his mouth.
His eyes shine as he looks up, as if he's challenging Hades to not react. Show him how he would take him? Oh, but he plans to take him apart.]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-12 11:49 pm (UTC)[And so he watches and waits while Hythlodaeus weaves together loose strands of either into something small and tangible. He need not even ask what that tiny bottle contains for he can well imagine that they will find a use for it in short order.]
[Humoring him somewhat, Hades yields to the gentle direction. 'Tis been a great while since he last allowed himself to be so vulnerable, yet he tilts his knees further apart, spreading his thighs to allow Hythlodaeus just enough room to settle comfortably between them. His eyes are still bright pinpoints in the fading light, his body propped forward so that he can see over the slope of his own chest to Hythlodaeus leaning low over him.]
[The nip earns another strained hiss, soft but audible in the silence, yet before he can form a coherent objection, Hythlodaeus has made his move. He shouldn't be surprised, not really, however he wasn't expecting Hythlodaeus to immediately begin pleasuring him with his mouth. A few tantalizing swipes of the tongue is one thing, but before he knows it the head of his cock has vanished between his lover's soft, full lips, and Hythlodaeus is staring up at him in open, mirthful challenge.]
[It's not much of a challenge. Hades' fingertips dig in beneath him, twisting the bedsheets harshly as he struggles not to jolt right out of his own skin.]
[Oh, he might be able to endure the teasing explorations of a hand, or a naked body pressed against his own, but there is little which could have prepared him for the nigh perfect warmth of Hythlodaeus's mouth closing in around his cock. And this is only the beginning. If Hythlodaeus has his way, he realizes, he'll be nothing but mindless, desperate heap begging for more - and enjoying every moment of it, no doubt.]
[While he'd like to think himself far more controlled than this, there's no hiding the pitiful, plaintive whine that escapes him or the way he has to drag in another breath. A good thing his fingers are occupied, elsewise he's certain he'd be tangling them into Hythlodaeus's hair and coaxing him further down so he might revel in that delicious heat.]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-20 01:58 pm (UTC)And quite successfully if the sounds he's already starting to make are anything to go by. The soft chuckle that he holds in the back of his throat rumbles lightly along the length in his mouth, and it's almost as if he's giving Hades a moment of privacy as he lowers his eyelids. A moment to collect himself. What a joke, when Hythlodaeus is doing what he's doing...
The whine that he hears goes straight to his cock. His hips twitch against the sheets, seeking relief in the friction, and he has to pull away to gasp in a lungful of air.]
Oh, you sound delicious... [His lips brush against Hades' cock as he speaks, his cheeks flushed and lips reddened with the effort he's already expended.] Shall I continue, or would you like me elsewhere?
no subject
Date: 2024-10-22 03:59 am (UTC)[He just manages to complain before an even more unbecoming sound can pass his lips. Oh, what that good-humored chuckle does to him, when he's experiencing it in this way... Entirely novel. He'll have to make note of it for later.]
[While he's trying to behave himself, it's becoming more and more difficult with each passing moment, his hips shuddering with the urge to jerk up to meet that waiting mouth; far too eager.]
[And he hasn't quite forgotten the bottle, either. No doubt it's tucked quite warmly into Hythlodaeus's hand, his ace to be used at the most opportune moment. Though, he thinks, Hythlodaeus could better be expending that energy prying him open rather than grinding aimlessly into the sheets...]
[Hades at last reaches out with one hand to tangle his fingers into Hythlodaeus's hair, his gaze intent and surprisingly straightforward as he waits for Hythlodaeus to meet it.]
I want you. Anywhere, everywhere. So enough of your games. Either take me properly or give me your mouth.
no subject
Date: 2024-11-06 12:26 am (UTC)Everywhere? I do have my limits, you know. [A small shake of his head, a smile, and with a deft movement he tips the warmed bottle in his hand to slick his fingers well out of sight of Hades' hungry gaze.]
I can but do my utmost to satisfy you.
[He sighs, lightly, then takes the length in front of him back into his mouth. At the same time, as the tip of his tongue presses warm, wet patterns against the underside of the man's cock, his two forefingers push deliberately up against Hades' ass.
Only one dips inside, testing before easing in deeper and crooking upwards.]
text | march 10th
Date: 2024-03-14 12:44 am (UTC)Do you have any time to spare today? I've something for you.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-17 10:58 pm (UTC)Where shall I meet you?
no subject
Date: 2024-03-17 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-03-24 02:06 am (UTC)a bajillion years late 😭
Date: 2024-04-13 04:49 pm (UTC)[ She arrives precisely on time sporting an oversized violet hoodie, jeans, and a large cross-body canvas bag resting at her hip.
Argos is, as usual, seemingly indifferent to what his young mistress is up to, and looks even more elegant than usual with the addition of some sky blue ribbons braided into his fur. ]
YA GOOD
Date: 2024-04-22 07:29 pm (UTC)There you are. A pleasure to see you as always.
[He smiles brightly at her as he steps to one side to invite her in.]
I must admit you have my curiosity entirely piqued.
Re: YA GOOD
Date: 2024-04-30 01:38 am (UTC)I've made something I hope will be good enough for an archer of your outstanding skill. [ Given how little patience she has (read: none) for false flattery, Era refers to his skill in the same way one would that the sky is blue or the sun is hot.
Wasting no time, she reaches elbow-deep into her bag to pull out a large, elegant compound bow. It's made of light wood, warm metals, and accented with some of her scales polished to an iridescent shine. There are some carvings and engravings inlaid with aetheroconductive gold inks, all leading to a catalyst gem a particular shade of yellow Hythlodaeus is sure to be familiar with. ]
You can fully draw this bow using less force than a standard bow, and the geometries will increase both aether efficiency and efficacy if you channel magic through it.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 11:21 pm (UTC)[But he cannot hide the delight on his face at all when she produces what she brought for him. He takes the bow as one might lift a precious artifact and holds it in both hands, tilting it this way and that to admire the craftsmanship.
He certainly recognises that particular shade of amber-gold.
Hythlodaeus lifts the bow up and draws it slowly, his archers stance perfect despite his protestations about his skills (both then and now) and as he slackens the string again and lowers it down he lets out a soft whistle of appreciation.]
Tis almost too grand of a gift to accept.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-07 03:53 pm (UTC)[ She doesn't push any further, knowing with her own tendency to downplay herself she hardly has any room to speak. Instead, she observes him take his stance and draw the bow, letting out a pleased smile when seeing his appreciation of the gift. ]
It's a middling gift at best. [ Era teases. ] But if you feel the need to repay me you can lend me a hand with my garden.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-13 10:32 pm (UTC)With your garden?
[He looks at her in faint surprise. Hythlodaeus has, admittedly, never been an outdoorsy type and has certainly never dabbled in actual gardening. There are some of his people who insist upon such things (at least one or two in Elpis alone) but when one can simply create what they need...
The corners of his eyes pinch slightly as he smiles again.]
I'd be delighted, though you may need to teach me proper techniques. I'm not sure if it could be called a repayment on my part with that in mind.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-18 03:19 pm (UTC)Eyeing the man — her new new-old friend — holding the bow she crafted with him in mind, clearly beyond pleased with the gift but also feeling undeserving of it, Era takes a moment to consider how best to proceed. Eventually she comes to a realization she should have come to years ago: ]
I enjoy teaching others. [ It shouldn't surprise her as much as it does, given how delighted she was whenever her students understood what she taught them; that glint in their eyes when things finally clicked thanks to her guidance. ] I enjoy it almost as much as new adventures. An opportunity to teach you how to make new life flourish beneath your fingertips with tenderness and affection rather than aether...
[ Era considers it again, and decides it to be an unbalanced exchange. ]
For the bow you can assist me with my garden, and for my nameday gift you can let me teach you.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-27 03:04 pm (UTC)[He looks around for a moment and then places the bow down carefully, leaning it into a corner between a bookcase and a wall. His arms fold loosely as he looks down at her, giving exaggerated consideration to the offer that she made him, then he chuckles lightly.]
That sounds like a fair enough trade.
[And a fair enough gift if that is truly what she wants of him.]
Very well, my little dragonet. That is what we shall do. I shall look forward to being under your tutelage.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-27 03:52 pm (UTC)He calls her 'little dragonet', and today it gives her pause. Era tilts her head slightly to the side, staring at nothing for a moment as she ponders. It doesn't take long for her to shift her gaze upward, shyly peeking at him from under her lashes. ]
Era.
[ Her voice is firm; confident. Though the way she quickly shifts her gaze back to the side and her fingers begin to twitch (seeking something to busy themselves with — idle hands are the devil's playthings, after all), it's clear that this admittance isn't easy for her. ]
It's my nameday, so you should know my name.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-31 03:07 am (UTC)She has never told him her name and although he has often found it strange it is something that he has bore with as a harmless boundary not to be pressed. When she speaks up in perplexes him for a moment, his mind not quite connecting what she says with what she means, but then she clarifies and his eyes immediately brighten.]
Era.
[A soft exhale pushes out through his nose as he places a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezes it.]
As fine a gift as this wonderful bow you brought me. I must say I feel rather spoiled.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-01 05:26 pm (UTC)She lets out a quick rush of breath as he touches her shoulder and squeezes it (gently, and not dissimilar to her family at home), startled by the unexpected action. It says a great deal of how comfortable she's grown in his presence that she let her guard drop so low.
After a moment she gives a small, wry chuckle. ]
Hello, my name is Era.
[ Era offers a polite bow of greeting, not wanting Hythlodaeus to take her delay in offering her name to be any sort of gift. ]
I am nine-fourteenths of Azem Hemera's sundered soul, plucked from the Aetherial Sea and given life by Hydaelyn eight years ago in an Eitherys parallel to yours.
[ She doesn't lift herself from her bow, but raises her head and gaze to look up at Hythlodaeus instead. ]
It's nice to meet you, former Chief of the Bureau of the Architect and hero of Eitherys.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-12 07:14 pm (UTC)Hythlodaeus chuffs out a soft breath and his lips tilt in a wry half-smile when she addresses him by his job title (former, he supposes), only for him to blink and blurt out a soft, surprised laugh at the final words.]
Hero? Come now. I did nothing deserving of that kind of praise.
[He moves his hand from her shoulder to the top of her head, giving it a soft pat in a way he hopes comes across as the fondness it is and not condascending.]
There is one hero of Eitherys here, and she is standing right in front of me.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-13 01:46 pm (UTC)Family, she realizes. A brother.
It is almost enough to distract her from the way he dismisses himself. ]
...Perhaps it was different in your Etheirys, but mine would have been destroyed long before my friends and I could save it if not for you.
[ Despite her frown she still continues leaning into his hand — and if he tries to pull it away, she'll reach out and make him keep it there. ]
...and when I was drowning in the Aetherial Sea, I remember your hands pushing me back toward my loved ones' voices. [ Well. Him and Hades both, but she knows if she mentioned the esteemed Emet-Selch that Hythlodaeus would downplay himself again. ] So, if nothing else, Hythlodaeus will always be a hero to me.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-22 07:46 pm (UTC)I suppose I can accept that much.
[If he must. Besides, they're having such a nice time here, pushing against what she thinks of him just wouldn't do at all. She's hardly the only person who thinks far more of him than he would say of himself after all...]
I would very much like to test this bow somewhere with a little more space, but can I interest you in a drink before we go rushing off anywhere?
text: UN: Emissary
Date: 2024-05-03 10:52 pm (UTC)Hythlodaeus, do you have time to speak?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-03 11:26 pm (UTC)Of course, Elidibus. What might this humble administrator do for you today?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-03 11:42 pm (UTC)[ Despite the phrasing, Elidibus isn't referring to the highly perceptive sight Hythlodaeus is known for. But being kin, a peer? That's something he can grasp. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-03 11:54 pm (UTC)You are of course welcome to any insight I might be able to provide.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 12:11 am (UTC)What are your thoughts on the true nature of the Fox? What facts... and what theory might you have cleaned through your experiences here?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 12:18 am (UTC)I cannot say if she delights in the disruption she causes or if she simply finds our reactions to it intriguing.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 12:51 am (UTC)What of the realm itself? I scholar I spoke to theorized this realm may not have been created, but a space the Fox filled with her power.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 12:59 am (UTC)From my experience she does not create anything *new*. She seems only capable of recreating and replicating places and things from worlds that she has encountered via those she brings here. When she is not manipulating us directly.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 01:16 am (UTC)What do you make of her desire to have us fulfill the potential she sees in us?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 01:19 am (UTC)Reaching one's full potential is a wholly subjective journey. If she is placing arbitrary goals based on her own estimations of us then we may never reach them.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-04 02:03 am (UTC)[ Deciding one's life purpose has been fulfilled is different from one's potential. ]
And potential by itself is a vague promise. Does the Fox have a clear potential she desires for each of us? Or is it merely an impetus to drive us? These are only two possibilities. Though I suspect given her mercurial nature, the options more nebulous in nature will oft be closer to the truth.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-05 03:54 pm (UTC)But we are subject to her whims while we reside in her realm. Regardless of whether or not she created this space she holds full sway over it.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-05 05:16 pm (UTC)[ One might argue the cracks caused by the Sundering likely made it far easier for the Fox to get into the metaphorical hen house that is Etheirys and from there Time would have been nothing to one that seemed as powerful as this entity. Elidibus will certainly not do so on such meager hypotheticals. ]
I will not hide from you my desire and intent to escape, should the opportunity present itself. And if you are able to uncover any clues about this realm or her existence, I would be grateful for them. You may take them as a request from Elidibus, if you desire. But know with whatever you say, I will do my utmost to respect your choice whether to remain or be free of this binding.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-07 08:26 pm (UTC)Not that I would have deliberately held information from you.
As for myself... I have nowhere else to go save for back to the Star, and despite my current situation... I find myself unwilling to hurry along to that end just yet.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-07 10:14 pm (UTC)[ But then they are not quite the same types of patience are they? Elidibus has become singularly focused on his duty. So much so that anything which stands athwart it must not be allowed to continue. ]
It seems I will not want for those to with whom I might trust to compare my findings then. Thank you, Hythlodaeus.
[July Mingle / Text] [cw: eventually nsfw]
Date: 2024-08-06 03:21 am (UTC)Your presence is requested at the third junction of the fern trail lest the remainder of mine afternoon be blotted out by the balmy haze of good drink and entirely forgettable company. Animals, mostly.
In short: You are cordially invited to woo me for now I am in a holiday humor, and like enough to consent to whatever manner of mischief you might be able to conjure up for us.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 05:08 pm (UTC)While I accept your invitation and will be at your side with all haste, I have one pressing question to ask.
Are you drunk?
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 05:25 pm (UTC)Though I may consider changing mine answer if it leads to a more favorable outcome.
Why?
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 05:33 pm (UTC)Do you have enough additional libations for the task?
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 06:46 pm (UTC)Your presence is more than enough, however.
I would not wish any companion in the world but you.
When you arrive, look up, and there will I be.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 06:49 pm (UTC)[Hades is not difficult to locate with the shade of his aether shining like a beacon across Folkmore, and Hythlodaeus has no trouble at all in getting to him.
Look up, he'd said, and so he does with one arm shading his eyes from the sun, and then he giggles.]
Heh heh heh... oh, my. Hades, what are you up to?
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 07:17 pm (UTC)[A delay whilst he collects himself, and then two bright golden eyes lock onto Hythlodaeus. He shrugs then, as if it's a chore just to explain himself - but he does so anyway.]
I'm lounging; what does it look like? The fae creatures kept pestering me with their scarcely concealed euphemisms and thus did I escape into these boughs for a moment of reprieve and rose-tinted reflection.
You are late, my love.
[He isn't, even if Hades seems to think so.]
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 10:35 pm (UTC)[He can't recall the last time he saw Hades in such a state of relaxation! Hythlodaeus giggles again against the back of his hand and then plants that same hand to his hip, a smile clear on his face.
Is he wearing flowers in his hair? How utterly delightful.]
Am I expected to join you amidst the boughs? I have my doubts that branch will take the weight of us both.
[Though, admittedly... he's willing to give it a try.]
no subject
Date: 2024-08-07 01:12 am (UTC)[Hades waves a hand in an unworried manner, inclining his head in such a way that makes it clear he expects Hythlodaeus to join him all the same. Besides, it isn't as if such a feat is strictly impossible.]
Difficult, perhaps, to join me as you are. Though if memory serves, you have several means at your disposal. I shall be curious to see which of these proves most effective.
[Sprawling back against the bark, Hades folds one leg over the other and examines the bottle more closely, as if by doing so it might at last relinquish its secrets.]
no subject
Date: 2024-08-13 09:12 pm (UTC)Hmm. 't is to be a challenge, then.
[Hythlodaeus steps back, narrowing his eyes on his target as if trying to calculate the best way to ascend.
Then, all at once, his entire form seems to shrink and fold in on itself, a flurry of fabric and lilac shades, and in place of the man is a small white bird with a long, purple tail and a neat crest of purple feathers. The bird quickly ascends, landing easily on the branch in front of Hades, and then the man himself is present once again.
He stays still, then shifts, ensuring the sturdiness of the branch in supporting their combined weight before he chuckles and shifts forwards almost like a prowling cat. One hand clasps over Hades' thigh as he leans in to kiss him, tasting the wine on his lips.]
There, my love. Are you satisfied?
no subject
Date: 2024-09-06 02:12 pm (UTC)[For if it were truly one, he'd have made certain to choose something a touch more difficult. Instead, he's left to watch as Hythlodaeus transforms into some exotic little songbird and immediately flitters upwards to alight on the branch before him with practiced ease.]
[For Hades's part, he still doesn't seem to doubt the sturdiness of the branch. After all, should it snap in twain, there's surely enough time to catch himself before he lands. It might even be exciting.]
[Hades shifts the bottle so that Hythlodaeus can't take it from him right away, but he remains open to the kiss, tilting his head up just enough and sliding his free hand around Hythlodaeus's waist to hold him there lest he fall or, heavens forfend, decide to fly back down into the bushes, visible but frustratingly out of reach.]
And no, I am not satisfied; not yet. But I suspect I will be, ere long.
[Oh, but he does look as criminally beautiful as ever.]
You don't mean to spend the entire afternoon on your knees, I should hope. It looks dreadfully uncomfortable.
no subject
Date: 2024-09-14 01:45 am (UTC)[He teases, smiles, and leans in for another kiss with the security that Hades' arm around him brings. Having no attention to pull himself out of reach by mishap or otherwise, he leans in to the other man's touch and plays with a lock of his hair with one hand while the other keeps his balance.]
I do like this new accessory. [Hythlodaeus comments, nodding his head upwards towards the crown circling Hades' head.]
I dare say it quite suits you.
[To see his edges so softened... It's cute.]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-11 06:59 pm (UTC)[Hades snorts softly, and makes a show of rolling his eyes upwards since both of his hands are presently occupied - and will be for some time, he imagines. He has little desire to let the bottle go, and even less to displace the other from where it is still tucked warmly into the dip at the base of Hythlodaeus's spine.]
The creatures were quite insistent that everyone should wear one. Some cultural affair or other. You may have it if you like.
[It doesn't suit him at all, but Hythlodaeus seems soft and amused by it, and he doesn't mind watching such an expression on his face for a few moments longer.]
And perhaps I would. But right now it is still far too early.
[He tugs gently at Hythlodaeus for emphasis. He's more than welcome to move closer if he has a care to. While his arms are occupied, his lap is vacant, and there's more than enough room.]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-20 02:13 pm (UTC)He settles and stretches his legs out, leaning himself back against the other man's broad chest and humming in pleased comfort. This is nice.]
Can you spare a mouthful of wine for me?
no subject
Date: 2024-10-21 01:45 pm (UTC)Have you considered that mayhap it would look far better upon you? What with the yellow of the narcissus complementing your silken tresses, and the asphodel easily becoming lost against mine own.
[Logical, he thinks, when Hythlodaeus has always had such beautiful and striking hair. Though eventually he relents, wordlessly passing the bottle forward by its neck, if only because having his hand thus freed means he can wrap both arms about his lover, pressing forward into that strong back.]
[It's hardly the flower crown that has softened the man's edges (and words) so - it's the wine, without a doubt. No matter how much he might protest.]
no subject
Date: 2024-11-06 12:28 am (UTC)Lovely. We should see about getting some for the occasional night in.
[Settled against Hades' chest he closes his eyes and hums, letting his head fall back and turning it to smudge a kiss to the other man's cheek.]
And you're being terribly poetic. Do tell me more about my 'silken tresses'.
no subject
Date: 2024-11-07 03:36 pm (UTC)[He leans a little closer to make his point known, his hands sliding more securely around him - like a petulant child reluctant to let go of a favored toy.]
Stow it away if you're already finished with it. And what, precisely, do you mean by "occasional"?
[The kiss goes some way towards mollifying him, however. Hythlodaeus seems content, and it's enough to ease any lingering annoyance he may feel - feigned or otherwise. He allows his own eyelids to droop - not entirely closed, but enough that what sliver of the world he sees is reduced to the back of Hythlodaeus's head leant against his chest and the curve of one ear just visible amidst those "silver tresses" he so ardently spoke of.]
Pity. I would have thought I was being brilliantly poetic. Yet what more needs to be said? Words would pale by comparison. Shall I describe the way the dappled light dances upon them when they hang in loose waves? How the texture is alike the soft inner edge of a newly unfurled rose petal? The way those flyaway wisps frame your face so exactly? Or mayhap you wish me to detail its fragrance.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-08 02:30 am (UTC)He lets his head rest back as he listens to Hades' voice by his ear, feeling the way his heart gently swells with the simple tone and cadence of it regardless of the words being said, and he utters the softest chuckle at the questions sent his way.]
I speak to a thespian and poet, do I not? A veritable master of words. [Hythlodaeus smiles and although Hades would not be able to see it, the expression is clear enough in the warmth of his voice.] Paint me a picture with them, dear heart, and I will hear no excuses that you are incapable. I know it not to be so.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 08:24 pm (UTC)[Hades doesn't need to see it. The fondness in Hythlodaeus's voice is as effective as a lamp guiding him in. He nestles closer, his chin resting atop the crown of his head - a present, if considered weight. Tipsy though he is, it isn't his intention to smother Hythlodaeus. Not yet, at least - and not in this particular way.]
[He lets out a low breath. Of course he'd make such demands now, when he's too worn down to refuse him... Not that he particularly wants to, in this case.]
Before your silken tresses, the wisteria weep with jealousy.
Their blooms liquify and runneth down to pool like a fragrant lake about thine feet. Mine heart pays tribute. And when - inevitably - the clear bells that signal thine amusement appeal to the air, the songbirds fall silent to listen.
[Hades traces Hythlodaeus's sleeve with careful fingers, seeking out the warmth of his hand to tuck into his.]