international!
The first half was written between 3 and 6 AM at the Toronto Pearson Airport, Terminal 1. Second half written at home, on the couch. Which makes this INTERNATIONAL PORN FIC, people. The somewhat pornish ending I'd written decided it didn't want to be a part of this fic, so I'll have to find another home for it. Eventually.
Ailean rubbed eir palms down the soft cloth over eir thighs, to dry them. Ey planned a little experiment, but wasn't entirely certain that Rea would approve. The physical aspect of their relationship was new and the shyish scholar still didn't trust Rea not to change eir mind. On the other hand, they'd been courting for several months and the guard hadn't shown any signs of impatience or disgust yet. Quite to the contrary-- ey sought Ailean's company with gratifying regularity, though ey still couldn't flirt worth a, well, worth a 'damn'. Ey simply-- turned up. And, inexplicably, stayed.
Hence the experiment. Ailean would never have tried this even a month ago. But the moon was full tonight, and the autumn breeze was warm, and Ailean had called in a few favours to ensure that this portion of the upper halls would remain empty for the next little while.
If Ailean could find the courage to climb the last few steps and open the door.
Ailean fussed with eir hair. A friend had twirled it into coils and curls, dainty and soft, and Ailean felt more than a little silly. Ey had worn eir best robes, also; rich cream, with a tabard of sandwashed silk somewhere between russet and honey. Eir glasses were freshly cleaned, and Ailean was startled at how crisp the world looked without the smudges. The bent frames had been repaired, too; Rea wasn't always careful when ey swept the glasses off and set (or tossed) them aside.
Perhaps this wasn't a good idea. Three steps, two.
Ailean pretended eir hand wasn't shaking as ey reached for the door and eased the handle down, grateful that the palace staff were (terrified into) conscientiousness and the hinges didn't creak in the slightest. Ailean peeked around the door. Rea stood, arms folded, with eir back to a stretch of bare wall between two windows. There were no guests in this tower; the Rohma would allow no foreign dignitaries into the kingdom who might carry word of the civil unrest back to those to whom they'd sworn loyalty. And yet, the corridor could not be left untended. There were many ways to kill inconvinient people, and not all were quick and bloody. So Rea stood and stared at the doorway to the richest guest-suite, all alone and most likely bored.
But not anymore. Ey had turned eir fine head, expression faintly puzzled.
"What are you doing, Aile? You were out in the stairwell for ages."
Ailean winced and cursed the blush ey could feel heating eir face...and eir neck...oh dear, Ailean thought, and hoped blushes didn't show under torchlight and moonlight.
"Um," Ailean said. Tried to be graceful without tripping over the hem of eir robe. Rea's head tipped to the side.
"Heyyy," Rea said. "Wow Aile, you look pretty."
Ailean drew a slow breath, said "Thankyou." Plucked at the end of eir tabard, sidled a little closer to Rea, and mumbled.
"What?" Rea said. Ey looked up and down the hall. "What are you up to? It's past midnight. I don't expect you're lost, so why --"
Rea was tall and solidly built. Ey was also one of the most supremely capable people Ailean had ever met. Ey could handle numerous weapons, and was competent with animals and small children (though, inexplicably, useless with horses). One thing Rea could not do, however, was talk past a kiss, even one so nervously begun. Ey was rather good at kissing Ailean though, and soon eir hands were cradling Ailean's jaw, blunt fingers lost in Ailean's new curls. Ailean cupped the back of the guard's neck with one hand and kept the kiss light. Ey had to concentrate to make sure Rea wouldn't take control as usual, wouldn't bowl all of Ailean's plans over with eir enthusiasm.
Right. Plans. Soon Ailean was applying teeth and suction to that spot on the side of Rea's neck, hands splayed on the heavy shoulders, smoothing the rough linin of eir tunic then running over the well-muscled back. Ailean kept on until the guard was all but squirming, so tall and strong, but pinned here against the wall by nothing more than Ailean's slim hands and too-thin lips. When the scholar finally pulled back, Rea shook eir head like a wet dog and tried visibly to control eir breathing.
"Ohh. Is it my birthday?"
Ailean let out what ey would stoutly deny was a giggle. "No. Um. I mean, you know that, obviously--"
Large warm hands swept along Ailean's back. Ailean rubbed eir cheek against the broad chest and tried to remember what ey had planned to do. Well, one thing at a time. The palace's library was a vast and varied place, and Ailean had located all manner of interesting texts in eir years there. Though some had only recently come to be of specific interest and potential use. One in particular stressed the value of patience. Ailean closed Rea's eyes with a careful forefinger.
Rea drew a slow, deliberate breath and smirked. Ey relaxed in a rush, slumping against the wall, and obediently kept eir eyes shut.
“I bet you’ve got people watching both stairways? And bribed them to be sure nobody’d walk in?”
Ailean’s jaw sagged a little. “Rea! That’s not how it’s supposed to go at all!”
A tumble of staccato laughter from Reammon. “Easy, treasure. You know better than to expect me to skive off on duty-“
“So it was obvious, then? Blatantly apparent?”
Rea looked cautious now. “Erm. Uh. It sorta-I mean, it stood to reason?”
Ailean began to pout. Ey knew ey was pouting because Reammon found eir ‘pouty face’ irresistible and the guard never failed to acquire a besotted expression and an incongruous tendency to coo. Ailean recognized the sugar glaze that was creeping across Rea’s face and headed off the cooing with a kiss. After a few moments Ailean drew away and licked eir lips.
“I don’t see what the point is anymore,” ey complained. “The whole aim of the endeavor is the surprise, the possibility that mmph.”
Reammon had picked up eir indignant lover, both large hands encircling the narrow waist, and had delivered the most enthusiastic kiss Ailean had received since ey had helped the guard win a big game of Question Kings two days ago. Ailean was short of breath when Rea finally pulled back.
“Aile, I love that you’d plan a surprise for me like this,” Rea said. “I love that you’d go through all the work of arranging this, and - we could both be in a lot of trouble if anyone other than the two friends you’ve got watching the staircases finds out.”
“Hmm,” Ailean said. “I suppose… how did you figure I would have selected friends of - ah, obvious again.”
“Sensible,” Rea corrected, and set Ailean lightly on eir feet. “Now, how about giving me the rest of my surprise?”
Ailean faked a sulk. “I’m not sure I still wish to,” ey said, and laughed softly at Rea’s expression of exaggerated dismay. Ey stood on eir tiptoes to wind eir arms around Rea’s neck, twining the fingers of one hand in the wispy curls at the nape of the guard’s neck.
“Are you sure you can stay quiet?” Aile said.
“Of course!” Rea assumed a lofty expression. Ailean smirked and slid eir hands slowly down Rea’s torso, sent eir fingers dancing over the lacings to the guard’s trousers.
“Are you sure?”
-END-
Ailean rubbed eir palms down the soft cloth over eir thighs, to dry them. Ey planned a little experiment, but wasn't entirely certain that Rea would approve. The physical aspect of their relationship was new and the shyish scholar still didn't trust Rea not to change eir mind. On the other hand, they'd been courting for several months and the guard hadn't shown any signs of impatience or disgust yet. Quite to the contrary-- ey sought Ailean's company with gratifying regularity, though ey still couldn't flirt worth a, well, worth a 'damn'. Ey simply-- turned up. And, inexplicably, stayed.
Hence the experiment. Ailean would never have tried this even a month ago. But the moon was full tonight, and the autumn breeze was warm, and Ailean had called in a few favours to ensure that this portion of the upper halls would remain empty for the next little while.
If Ailean could find the courage to climb the last few steps and open the door.
Ailean fussed with eir hair. A friend had twirled it into coils and curls, dainty and soft, and Ailean felt more than a little silly. Ey had worn eir best robes, also; rich cream, with a tabard of sandwashed silk somewhere between russet and honey. Eir glasses were freshly cleaned, and Ailean was startled at how crisp the world looked without the smudges. The bent frames had been repaired, too; Rea wasn't always careful when ey swept the glasses off and set (or tossed) them aside.
Perhaps this wasn't a good idea. Three steps, two.
Ailean pretended eir hand wasn't shaking as ey reached for the door and eased the handle down, grateful that the palace staff were (terrified into) conscientiousness and the hinges didn't creak in the slightest. Ailean peeked around the door. Rea stood, arms folded, with eir back to a stretch of bare wall between two windows. There were no guests in this tower; the Rohma would allow no foreign dignitaries into the kingdom who might carry word of the civil unrest back to those to whom they'd sworn loyalty. And yet, the corridor could not be left untended. There were many ways to kill inconvinient people, and not all were quick and bloody. So Rea stood and stared at the doorway to the richest guest-suite, all alone and most likely bored.
But not anymore. Ey had turned eir fine head, expression faintly puzzled.
"What are you doing, Aile? You were out in the stairwell for ages."
Ailean winced and cursed the blush ey could feel heating eir face...and eir neck...oh dear, Ailean thought, and hoped blushes didn't show under torchlight and moonlight.
"Um," Ailean said. Tried to be graceful without tripping over the hem of eir robe. Rea's head tipped to the side.
"Heyyy," Rea said. "Wow Aile, you look pretty."
Ailean drew a slow breath, said "Thankyou." Plucked at the end of eir tabard, sidled a little closer to Rea, and mumbled.
"What?" Rea said. Ey looked up and down the hall. "What are you up to? It's past midnight. I don't expect you're lost, so why --"
Rea was tall and solidly built. Ey was also one of the most supremely capable people Ailean had ever met. Ey could handle numerous weapons, and was competent with animals and small children (though, inexplicably, useless with horses). One thing Rea could not do, however, was talk past a kiss, even one so nervously begun. Ey was rather good at kissing Ailean though, and soon eir hands were cradling Ailean's jaw, blunt fingers lost in Ailean's new curls. Ailean cupped the back of the guard's neck with one hand and kept the kiss light. Ey had to concentrate to make sure Rea wouldn't take control as usual, wouldn't bowl all of Ailean's plans over with eir enthusiasm.
Right. Plans. Soon Ailean was applying teeth and suction to that spot on the side of Rea's neck, hands splayed on the heavy shoulders, smoothing the rough linin of eir tunic then running over the well-muscled back. Ailean kept on until the guard was all but squirming, so tall and strong, but pinned here against the wall by nothing more than Ailean's slim hands and too-thin lips. When the scholar finally pulled back, Rea shook eir head like a wet dog and tried visibly to control eir breathing.
"Ohh. Is it my birthday?"
Ailean let out what ey would stoutly deny was a giggle. "No. Um. I mean, you know that, obviously--"
Large warm hands swept along Ailean's back. Ailean rubbed eir cheek against the broad chest and tried to remember what ey had planned to do. Well, one thing at a time. The palace's library was a vast and varied place, and Ailean had located all manner of interesting texts in eir years there. Though some had only recently come to be of specific interest and potential use. One in particular stressed the value of patience. Ailean closed Rea's eyes with a careful forefinger.
Rea drew a slow, deliberate breath and smirked. Ey relaxed in a rush, slumping against the wall, and obediently kept eir eyes shut.
“I bet you’ve got people watching both stairways? And bribed them to be sure nobody’d walk in?”
Ailean’s jaw sagged a little. “Rea! That’s not how it’s supposed to go at all!”
A tumble of staccato laughter from Reammon. “Easy, treasure. You know better than to expect me to skive off on duty-“
“So it was obvious, then? Blatantly apparent?”
Rea looked cautious now. “Erm. Uh. It sorta-I mean, it stood to reason?”
Ailean began to pout. Ey knew ey was pouting because Reammon found eir ‘pouty face’ irresistible and the guard never failed to acquire a besotted expression and an incongruous tendency to coo. Ailean recognized the sugar glaze that was creeping across Rea’s face and headed off the cooing with a kiss. After a few moments Ailean drew away and licked eir lips.
“I don’t see what the point is anymore,” ey complained. “The whole aim of the endeavor is the surprise, the possibility that mmph.”
Reammon had picked up eir indignant lover, both large hands encircling the narrow waist, and had delivered the most enthusiastic kiss Ailean had received since ey had helped the guard win a big game of Question Kings two days ago. Ailean was short of breath when Rea finally pulled back.
“Aile, I love that you’d plan a surprise for me like this,” Rea said. “I love that you’d go through all the work of arranging this, and - we could both be in a lot of trouble if anyone other than the two friends you’ve got watching the staircases finds out.”
“Hmm,” Ailean said. “I suppose… how did you figure I would have selected friends of - ah, obvious again.”
“Sensible,” Rea corrected, and set Ailean lightly on eir feet. “Now, how about giving me the rest of my surprise?”
Ailean faked a sulk. “I’m not sure I still wish to,” ey said, and laughed softly at Rea’s expression of exaggerated dismay. Ey stood on eir tiptoes to wind eir arms around Rea’s neck, twining the fingers of one hand in the wispy curls at the nape of the guard’s neck.
“Are you sure you can stay quiet?” Aile said.
“Of course!” Rea assumed a lofty expression. Ailean smirked and slid eir hands slowly down Rea’s torso, sent eir fingers dancing over the lacings to the guard’s trousers.
“Are you sure?”
-END-