Of Silence and Thievery (20/34) - Part Two
Continued from here
“I don’t understand why we must go through all of this now, Esther. We are at least four weeks away from Herzliya-wouldn’t it make more sense to review all of the customs and practices once we are closer, so they are fresher in our minds?” Seychelles couldn’t help but echo Rosa’s reasoning and glanced up at Esther’s serious face. She didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb once they reached the Byzantium, but she also had quite a lot to do before they reached Zion; going over customs and things to expect so early seemed a little premature. “And why are we split up men and women? I’m sure Sadiq has plenty of insight that we could learn from as well; he has lived in the Byzantium longer than you.”
“We’re learning it now because you will need to practice what I teach you here so that you draw as little attention to yourself as possible-you will be lucky if you can master everything in four weeks. And there are different rules for women than men, and Sadiq, being a man, wouldn’t be able to go over those things satisfactorily. The Byzantium is a dangerous enough land as it is, even more so for foolish, western women who don’t know when it’s best to keep their mouths shut.”
Rosa glared at Esther but didn’t argue-Seychelles was grateful for it. She cleared her throat and drew both of the other woman’s attention to her. “I’m assuming these rules have to do with the oppression of women in the Byzantium, correct?”
Esther nodded and gave a thin-lipped smile. “Yes, captain. Though, you will find that many in the Byzantium do not view it as oppression, but rather protection-and many of the women agree with that mentality.”
“Did you?” Rosa’s voice was still sharp and almost looking for an argument. Esther, to her credit, didn’t rise to the bait and kept her calm.
“Obviously not, otherwise I would not be here. Zion is more relaxed than other Byzantium nations regarding women’s roles and rights, but it is still far different from Avrupa. After my Talent had been taken, I was expected to quit the military and start a family, a fate that was expected of me before Ivan had even attacked me. My family viewed my Talent being stolen as a disappointment, but nothing worth fretting over since I wouldn’t need to be in the military much longer-suffice it to say, they were displeased when I did not agree with them and set off to hunt Ivan.” Esther’s voiced sparked in anger near the end of her story; Rosa’s face softened a bit and Seychelles felt a pang of indignation for her crewmate run through her.
Seychelles had a feeling that travelling to Zion, and further through the Byzantium at that, would become much more complicated than most of her crew anticipated. She was just as excited as everyone else was at having found the mountain Arthur saw, to finally have a goal and direction, but travelling through the Byzantium wasn’t going to be easy. Especially if they were going to try to do it discreetly so not to alert Ivan how close they were to actually finding him. Seychelles’ home island wasn’t like the Byzantium at all, but she knew how much people from Avrupa stood out when they visited. They were mostly fair-skinned and bright-eyed, and stood out so obviously amongst all the dark skin of the islanders of Sesel*. It was almost painful at times, watching tourists wandering through the sea port towns, and if they were so obvious at home, they would be even more so in a land that was hostile and untrusting towards westerners. Listening to Esther speak about it and worry about how they were going to react-complicated didn’t quite cover the scope of what they were facing.
“And Zion is, again, more relaxed of the Byzantium nations, possibly because we are nearly constantly at war with our neighbors and can’t be bothered with all the tradition most of the time, but there are still certain expectations of women and if you draw attention to yourself as a westerner, you’ll only be creating problems down the road. Especially when we enter more closed off nations like Persica-this is as much for your own safety as well as for discretion. We won’t do anyone any good if we’re stoned to death by angry villagers before we can reach Ruthenia.”
“Stoned to death? Really?” Rosa’s voice was dripping with disdain.
“Yes. Stoning is still considered a viable right of men against heathens and blasphemers and allowed in nearly every principality of the Byzantium. Even in the larger capitals where there is more progressive thinking, stoning is still likely to happen if someone is acting offensively enough.”
“Speaking my mind and when I chose to is hardly offensive!”
“Not to you, but to a Persican man, yes it is and it will draw attention to us,” Esther snapped. She rubbed at her eyes before taking a seat in front of them, looking at Rosa’s fiery anger with a weary, somewhat regretful look. “Listen, I do not agree with this, and I’m certainly not looking forward to having to wear a burka that hinders my movements and limits my fighting, nor am I looking forward to deferring to Sadiq or Alfred at nearly every turn, but it’s necessary if we want to make it through the Byzantium nations with minimal problems. Avrupa is filled with lands of change and progress, of art and acceptance-the Byzantium is a land of tradition and honor and they have a radically different way of thinking what constitutes those two things. If we are to survive, we must adapt ourselves to them, because they certainly aren’t going to do it for a group of ‘western filth,’ people they don’t want walking on their land as it is.”
Silence echoed between them for a moment before Seychelles broke it. “You’re right, Esther. We don’t have to like it, in fact I am sure we’ll hate every second of it, but we all knew we signed up for a difficult road when we decided to hunt Ivan. The crew will follow your and Sadiq’s instruction on whatever you deem necessary.”
“But captain-!”
“Everything, Rosa. Otherwise the past four years will have been for nothing. A few weeks of discomfort will not kill you, you are stronger than that.” Rosa met her stare for a moment before she huffed, but visibly deflated back into her seat. Seychelles gave her an approving nod before turning back to Esther, waving her to continue. “What is your opinion then? What should we be aware of not to do?”
“The first thing I would have you practice is walking. You both are women of power and command and it shows when you walk, it will show to these people, even under the burka. So, up.” Seychelles got to her feet, Rosa more slowly. “When you move, I would position yourself behind one of the men, and have your feet mirror their strides, just shorter and tighter to your body. Think of how Kiku walks. Subdued, controlled and aware. That is how you must adapt your own stride.”
Esther got back to her feet and pointed their attention to her feet and legs. She took small, measured steps across the deck and Seychelles thought it remarkable how something so simple made Esther, a proven warrior, seem meek. She did it across the deck and back before she beckoned them to try. Seychelles glanced down at how Esther was moving and tried to mimic the motions as best she could-it was awkward and slow going, not at all how she normal moved. She had a feeling she was failing horribly (the wobbling was probably not desired-but at least she hadn’t completely stepped out of line like Rosa had), but Esther didn’t say anything. She just watched them for a moment before she made a negating gesture with her hand.
“You need to keep your eyes lowered. In the Byzantium, for a woman to look at another man outside her husband or family without being addressed directly, which will not happen often unless you are the first wife of a Sheikh, is brazen and often considered an invitation. In the burka the only parts of you that are seen are your hands and your eyes, and even an innocuous motion or look can be interpreted as insulting or offensive. Zion will not have such harsh rules, as women do not wear the burka there, but once we enter Anatolia*, it is something you must remember and be aware of.”
“If we must look down and must shuffle our feet, how exactly will that give us an advantage if we are ambushed?” Rosa’s eyes were bright and she seemed to be working herself up again; she had a temper and let her emotions run away from her too often, Seychelles thought. “We might as well have a collar and leash attached to our necks, mis Dios!”
“First you must master how to move like a woman of the Byzantium; once you’ve done that, we can work on how you can manipulate the submission into strength.”
“A question, Esther. If women are kept under such tight control in these lands, how exactly are we going to handle the fact that none of us are married? I assume that it won’t matter to most of the Byzantium that we’re from Avrupa and are not expected to marry to be allowed outdoors.”
Esther met Seychelles’ stare and shook her head in minor disbelief. “I thought that obvious-we’re pairing up once we reach Zion and will be giving the appearance that we are married. Sadiq and I are paired together, you and Francis, and Rosa will be paired with Alejandro, and don’t argue with me Rosa; you will work best at this with him. The ruse will only work if we are believable as a couple, and these pairings will work the best.”
“Yes, because you and Sadiq get along so well!” Seychelles agreed with Rosa on that point. Sadiq and Esther had all but ignored each other since he joined the crew-Zionites did not get along well with their neighbors was the only answer either of them would give.
“We are from the Byzantium and know best how to act; a group of westerners getting toured through the nations by a native couple will be much more believable-there are families who make it their business and livelihood in giving guided tours through the Byzantium for non-natives who wish to travel here. It is our intent to masquerade as a married couple who run such a business and you are our fare, perhaps there on a group honeymoon or something. It is the path least likely to cause questions or attention.”
Seychelles nodded and Rosa deflated back against her seat a second time, her pout very clear on her face and making her look about ten years old. The plan Esther was proposing did sound like it would work and frankly, she was looking for the easiest way to get through the Byzantium they could find. If that required all of what Esther was presenting to them, then that was what they would have to do; simple as that. She glanced over at the group of men who were to go ashore and took in the angry look on Alfred’s face. Arthur looked resigned and was rubbing at his temples while Kiku attempted to calm Alfred down. “I am assuming that if unmarried women are not welcome, those who lie with the same gender aren’t either.”
Esther blinked at her, her gaze flicking over to the men for a moment. “I would have thought Sadiq’s attitude would have given you that answer. He is more progressive than most Byzantium men, which should certainly give you a hint as to what the majority of them are like. It is going to be a hard road for us all.”
Seychelles hummed and watched them for a moment longer before she turned back to Esther, focusing her mind from problems she could not control to those she could. “Show us how to walk again, please. If this is as important as you say, I want to be sure I master all that I can while we’re sailing.”
Esther nodded and demonstrated again, Seychelles and eventually Rosa, falling into awkward steps behind her.
*****
“This is bullshit! Just because some old guys an ocean away don’t like it, we have to hide and pretend we’re not together? What the hell, man?!” Alfred was fucking furious; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so angry, and that included the whole ‘Arthur-wandered-off-on-his-own-in-Spandow’ fiasco and Ivan attacking Mattie. Those had been angers mainly born from fear and worry-this was just good old fashioned pissed off, indignant and righteous anger. He was pacing the room angrily and had already thrown off his jacket; he really wanted to punch something, but Sadiq was huge and had a big-ass sword. That wasn’t going to end well for anyone, even if Alfred could feel echoes of his strength thrumming under his skin. His nostrils flared as he took in another deep, angry breath and he turned to glare at Arthur, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and watching him with calm eyes.
Why the hell wasn’t he angry? “Aren’t you pissed? This fucking sucks! And the whole time that jackass was telling us how we needed to keep the ‘blaspheming under wraps’ and ‘act normal’ he had this stupid little smirk on his face. We are normal, just because the Byzantium is so back-ass-wards doesn’t mean we’re suddenly wrong! I want to kick him so bad, like in the shins…or his face.”
I wouldn’t suggest it. His sword is nearly as large as he is.
Alfred stopped pacing and stared at Arthur, whose collected expression made him even more upset. “Why are you so calm about all this? Aren’t you mad that we’re gonna have to be miserable for like weeks? I thought that-why aren’t you upset?”
Arthur sighed silently, but Alfred could almost hear a whisper of it against his mind with the pendant on. I am, Alfred. But there’s no changing it-you don’t have to agree with it, but we’re not going to change the way an entire continent thinks.
“Well, we should! That’s crap that they discriminate against so many people for nothing other than being different because they think it’s wrong! It’s not even wrong, not from where we’re from!” Arthur finally started to look annoyed; he stood to his feet and pushed his hair out of his face.
And that is what you don’t understand, Alfred. We’re not in our homelands, we’re in theirs and when you’re different in a land that doesn’t accept it, you must adapt yourself to survive! Am I happy about it? Of course not, but this is not the first time I’ve had to pretend to be something I am not, and just because you’ve never had to doesn’t mean you can accuse me of not caring just because I’m not acting like a petulant child, like you!
Alfred reeled back and wanted to argue (he really, really did), but the words dried up in his mouth. He hadn’t really thought about that-he didn’t think anyone really thought about what it must’ve been like for Arthur before he joined the crew. He felt a rush of guilt and shame settle in his stomach and the tension slowly left his limbs and face; Arthur huffed and rubbed at his temples before he turned just enough so that he wasn’t facing Alfred. They stood awkwardly for a moment before Alfred took a deep breath, steeling himself, and stepped forward enough to touch Arthur’s shoulder hesitantly. Arthur didn’t turn his way but he didn’t jerk away either-Alfred hated that he was still so bad at this. Half the time he didn’t know what was the right thing to say, and the other half of the time it freaked him out how much he cared about Arthur and he ended up looking like an idiot. It was frustrating how complicated everything was turning out to be when he always thought being in love would be the easy part after finding someone.
As it turned out, falling in love was the easy part, staying in love though? Not so much.
“I wasn’t-I’m sorry, Iggy, I didn’t really think and was just so angry, mainly because Sadiq is an asswipe, but I don’t think that-shit, I’m saying it all wrong, can you help me out here?”
Arthur snorted, the motion unmistakable, and angled himself so that he met Alfred’s eyes with his own, not upset really but still unimpressed. You’re sorry you acted like a bullheaded sod and you didn’t mean to imply that I am not as upset by this whole scenario as you are because I wasn’t throwing a tantrum, therefore implying that I obviously am not as invested in this relationship as you, which was something I’d rather hoped we’d passed with the numerous discussions, all of which were uncomfortable, we’ve had regarding the subject.
Alfred winced. “Yeah, all that. Sorry, I really didn’t mean to be such a jerk and imply any of that stuff. Just pissed, you know? We shouldn’t have to hide just because a bunch of old farts can’t deal.”
Arthur’s mouth quirked up a little in humor as he nodded; he patted Alfred’s hand before moving to sit back on the edge of the bed and Alfred followed his movements before he followed, sitting down beside him. “So, uh, did you really have to hide like that in Britannia?”
Arthur gave him a look of disbelief. They were going to behead me, Alfred. They chased us out of town by pitchforks. What do you think?
“But what about your family? Or friends?” Alfred’s heart clenched a bit when he saw Arthur smile darkly and shake his head.
My relationship with my brothers is not the same as what you have with Matthew. The only person who didn’t treat my Talent as something to be ashamed of was my mother, and she died when I was seven. I was encouraged to not use my Voice in our home and after my father passed, my eldest brother made it very clear that they would support whatever the townspeople wished if my Talent was discovered. As you saw, that included getting my head chopped off. The only brother I even remotely got on with was Rhys*, and he skipped town as soon as I was old enough to apprentice at the bookshop to be with some chit of a girl he’d met in Londinium.
Arthur shrugged but didn’t look upset-he just looked resigned and a tad regretful. He must have taken in Alfred’s face though because his eyebrows softened down a bit and he grabbed Alfred’s hand comfortingly. He shouldn’t have been the one comforting; he should have been the comfortee. Alfred shook his head and tightened his fingers around Arthur’s. “I’m really sorry, Arthur. I mean, I knew that Britannia was kind of harsh to people who had gifts but-that sucks about your brothers.”
You don’t need to apologize; you can’t help how they think.
“Well, no, I know that but-I was being really insensitive before, about the whole needing to hide our relationship and stuff, when you’ve dealt with this crap like your whole life!”
You’re insensitive nearly every time you open your mouth, Alfred.
Alfred smiled a little because Arthur had definitely said that with humor. “Maybe, but I was worse this time.”
Arthur rolled his eyes but leaned over and kissed his neck regardless; Alfred felt a rush of warmth from the simple touch and he felt both happy that Arthur wasn’t pissed at him anymore and unbearably depressed because soon they wouldn’t be able to do stuff like that. Not without being super careful and that made kissing and stuff more like a chore; Alfred liked the surprise kisses and touches, they were spontaneous and he love spontaneity. He sighed noisily and rubbed at his eyes under his glasses; Arthur sort of started to glare at him, probably thinking he was about to start complaining again. And maybe he was, but it wasn’t angry complaining (ranting, Arthur called it) so he ignored it and flopped down onto his back, one hand resting under his head like a pillow. “This is going to suck. A lot. Major suckage. I mean, we touch like all the time, right? Now we’re going to have to walk on opposite sides of the group just to be safe.”
Safe from what? It was his turn to give Arthur an unimpressed look and he hated that the smirk on his face made him want to kiss him more than ignore him.
“From doing stuff that will get us stoned to death.”
Ah, that.
“Stop playing dumb, you’re really bad at it.”
You would be an excellent judge of that. That was it. Alfred huffed and snatched Arthur’s arm in his hand and pulled him down onto the bed; Arthur’s face went slack in shock at first, but by the time that Alfred was settled above him, still holding him down by his arm, he looked more amused than anything else.
“I think you should stop being a jerk.”
I think you should put your mouth to better use and start making up for the time we won’t be able to do this. Alfred went red to the tips of his ears and a coil of warmth settled in his stomach, but he leaned down and complied with the demand. He moved in between Arthur’s legs and his hands drifted off of Arthur’s arms to trail down his sides, freeing Arthur’s arms to reach up and lock behind the nape of his neck. Arthur surged forward and up into Alfred’s mouth and he let out a stream of air that sounded like a sigh in Alfred’s head; he wished for the millionth time he could actually hear that noise out loud, not just in his head. Alfred let out a whimper (it was a manly whimper though, not wimpy or anything) when Arthur took his bottom lip between his teeth and he rocked forward, pressing their hips together. Alfred felt too hot and too pressed in all at once and the feeling curled in his stomach, rushing out from the bottom of his feet to the tip of his nose.
Arthur pushed up halfway into a sitting position, legs still stretch out in between Alfred’s, and he worked his hands under Alfred’s tunic, pulling it up and over his head with quick movements; Alfred let out a deep, much more appropriate groan as his hands crawled up his chest before dropping back down to work on the button of his pants. He hooked has own hands behind Arthur’s neck and angled his head sharply, mapping out the inside of his mouth with his tongue, feeling the quick intake of air flutter across his lips. Arthur abandoned trying to work his hand inside Alfred’s pants and tugged him back down as he fell back to the bed, getting Alfred’s hands stuck behind them for a moment until they were roving all over again.
“Arthur? Remember what-what we talked about in Liz’s house?”
Arthur moved his mouth to Alfred’s neck and he could feel the hum against his skin. Alfred let out another groan as Arthur nipped and licked his way down Alfred’s neck to his shoulder, paying a bit more attention to the juncture where they met before moving back up. He pushed himself away a little, created space between them enough to look at Arthur, knowing that he couldn’t be able to think anything, let alone ask what he wanted to do, if Arthur kept touching him everywhere. Arthur’s face was flushed and his lips were bigger and wetter than usual from kissing and Alfred had to struggle to keep himself from swooping straight back down again.
“You remember what we talked about? What I wanted to do?”
Arthur’s breathing did not calm down from the pause in activity and he nodded slowly, eyes hooded and glazed as they looked up at him; Alfred loved it when Arthur looked at him like that. Made him feel more confident, more handsome and more everything really. “Yeah? Well-I still really, really want to. If you want to, I mean.”
Arthur pushed himself back up onto his forearms so his face was close to Alfred’s. Of course I still want to. That is possibly the stupidest question you have ever asked.
Alfred grinned and leaned in a little so their noses were touching and brushing. “Yeah?”
Yes. Alfred chuckled a little with emphasis he felt on the word in his head.
“So-so that’s awesome then! Do I need to-I mean, is it easier or-what should I do?” He felt stupid asking like that but-he really didn’t know what to do and even though he really wanted to do this, he was kind of nervous too (but that was normal…he was like ninety-nine percent sure of it). Arthur didn’t laugh or scoff at him though; he just nodded as if he understood all of what Alfred was trying to say in those stuttered sentences and pushed himself up all the way. Alfred scooted back onto his knees to make room and moved over to switch positions at Arthur’s wordless gesture, feeling a thrill of anticipation run through him as Arthur settled over him. He really had been thinking about this for weeks-almost constantly (he’d keep that to himself though, he was pretty sure saying that out loud just made him a pervert or something). And now, it was happening, and that was the only thing that was making the idea of what awaited them once they got to Zion suck a little less.
Well, first thing first. This is infinitely easier when you’re naked. Alfred let out a breathless kind of laugh and nodded, reaching down and finishing what Arthur had started earlier before shucking the pants and underwear off. Arthur did the same and there was a moment where they both seemed to realize this was still new, seeing each other completely naked. It wasn’t awkward exactly, but it still felt a little nerve-wracking. Then Arthur smiled and leaned down to press a soft, simple kiss to Alfred’s lips, pressing their bodies up against each other without clothing getting in the way. And it was fucking awesome.
“You-you’re so freaking sexy, Artie. I swear, like the sexiest thing ever, and I mean yeah I don’t really have a lot to compare it to but just, yeah.” The press, slide, and touch felt way too good to feel self-conscious over what he was saying. Arthur’s cheeks colored and his fingers brushed down Alfred’s leg, teasing into his thigh but not touching anywhere Alfred really, really wanted him to touch. “Going slow? Worst idea ever. I mean, maybe not ever because it was a good idea at the time but we should’ve put a time limit on it, like a week…or a day, whatever.”
He was aware he was babbling, but he couldn’t seem to help it. Arthur just-he made Alfred feel things all the time and it made him act like an idiot, more so than usual. Babbling was included in his idiotic behavior, especially if it was babbling happening at a completely non-babble appropriate time, like when Arthur’s mouth started kissing up his chest and his cock rocked down against his own. He reached up and dug his fingers into Arthur’s back, keeping him close and pressing him down hard into a kiss when Arthur finally made his way back to his lips. Keeping his mouth occupied seemed the best way to stop the babbling, even if Arthur hadn’t said anything about it before.
Details started to blur away as they kept on kissing and touching and pressing-Alfred felt a little light-headed and couldn’t get enough to Arthur’s warm weight all around him. The first time they had sex, there was so much emotion and awkwardness and they’d tumbled into bed after kissing for the first time for crying out loud! They hadn’t really known how to touch (and by ‘they,’ Alfred knew he meant just him) each other and while it had been awesome, it could’ve been a lot better. This though, this was different. They’d had time to get used to being together, to figure out where they liked to be touched, where they liked to be kissed, and had gained comfort in just being near one another. It didn’t seem like much, but rolling around together now, all loose limbs and easy touches, Alfred had to admit it made a huge difference. He couldn’t remember a time he was more turned on and judging by the tremors in Arthur’s back and how quick his puffs of air hit his chest, it was the same for him.
Arthur pulled away a little and looked at Alfred with bright eyes, the green nearly black as his irises expanded in arousal. If we’re doing this, we’re going to need some sort of lotion or oil.
Alfred felt a flush attack his ears and he smiled shyly before he pointed to the small, beside table drawer. “Yeah, I kinda figured…so I got something when you were stuck in the library. I didn’t-I made sure Gilbert didn’t see what I got.”
Arthur smiled and gave a silent chuckle; Alfred loved it when Arthur laughed because he hardly ever did it. It made him look younger, freer, and more his age; it made Alfred feel like he could stare at him forever. He really wished he could hear it, out load, not just the echo in his head. Arthur leaned further away to pull open the drawer and grab the slim bottle of oil; Alfred had to clench his fists tight to keep from reaching up to tug him back. Arthur settled back in between Alfred’s legs and set the bottle to the side, his face still flushed but the excitement dimmed a little as he looked at Alfred seriously.
If at any time you are uncomfortable or want to stop, you need to say so. Bottoming isn’t something every man likes, and if you try to force yourself you’re only going to end up extremely sore and upset.
“I really, really want to though so-”
Arthur placed his fingers against Alfred’s lips, his face going a little stern. I’m serious Alfred. You need to be honest with me. Can I trust you to do that?
Alfred met Arthur’s eyes and nodded his head under Arthur’s fingers. The way Arthur was looking at him was-Alfred had never had someone who looked at him like that. Warmth of an entirely different sort erupted in his stomach and he had to fight the urge to giggle and flail a little bit. “Yeah, ok.”
Arthur nodded as he removed his hand. Good. Now, it’s normal for this to feel a little, odd, especially if you’ve never touched yourself there before and you’ll need to relax through it.
“Ok.” The moment Arthur told him he’d need to relax, he tensed up automatically in response; he took a few deep breaths and settled back down, letting the heat and lazy arousal swirling through him come to the forefront again. He wanted this, liked wanted it so bad it was hard to think about anything else, and it was happening; Gods, he was so hard it literally hurt. Arthur smiled down at him again and kissed the top of his knee softly before he grabbed the bottle and uncorked it. Alfred watched him drizzle a little onto his fingers before corking it shut again and then he laid his head back down, feeling awkward at watching Arthur start to lean towards his, well, his ass. There really wasn’t any other schmoopy or romantic word for it.
The first touch wasn’t as cold as he thought it would be and it actually felt pretty nice; Arthur was massaging around his hole and it was shooting coils of soft pleasure up his spine. Once the finger started pushing in though, that did feel weird and Alfred had to clamp down hard on the urge to wiggle away. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t exactly nice feeling-he knew it had to change though because Arthur had really liked it when he’d done this. Arthur didn’t rush or push too much too fast, just kept alternating between massaging and pressing one finger in until it did start to feel kind of nice. He let out a pleased little noise and felt Arthur pull his finger out completely-it was weird how he wanted it back almost immediately.
Arthur pressed in again, this time two fingers, and this time it did hurt a little. It stretched and burned in a way that reminded him of trying to do the splits for the first time when you’d never tried it before. He grimaced and this time he couldn’t resist the urge to wiggle away; Arthur’s free hand cupped the side of his face and Alfred looked up and met his eyes. He looked so-so fucking hot like this, face flushed, lips parted, and staring down at Alfred with so much emotion it brought a smile to his face despite his discomfort.
Breathe, love. Take a deep breath and relax-then I want you to bear down on my fingers. It’ll feel more comfortable that way.
“I don’t get why this obviously felt way better for you than it does for me right now.”
I’ll show you why, but you need to relax first; I can’t do anything with just the tips of my fingers in.
Alfred nodded and tilted his head back; it was weird, staring up at Arthur when his fingers were in his ass. It made him feel small but safe all at once-it was easier to deal with that feeling when he could close his eyes. He did as Arthur instructed and found it was a lot easier to take the fingers when he did bear down on them; it still felt weird but it didn’t hurt as much. Arthur moved them back and forth in a gentle motion until Alfred could feel the fingers pressed in all the way to the second knuckle. They felt okay, kind of, but mostly it just felt like he had something shoved up his ass. He was starting to wonder if maybe he was a guy who just wouldn’t like this, which really sucked because he’d really wanted to do this and feel what Arthur had obviously liked, but maybe that was just-
“Holy mother fucking Lady!” It felt like his entire body had just come alive all at once, waves of hellyessogood branching out from something deep inside his ass that Arthur had pressed when he crooked his fingers inwards. He had never felt something like that, ever, in his life. Sure, jerking off was nice, (sometimes it was really nice) but it had never felt like that touch had. He could feel his legs shaking and he blinked his eyes open, gasping out again when Arthur pressed in again. “Fuck…fuckfuckfuck…that feels so good…”
Good, it’s meant to. Alfred looked up and met Arthur’s face; he’d expected him to be smug or something, and while he did look a little pleased with himself, mainly, he just looked happy that Alfred was happy. He dragged his fingers out about halfway before he pressed them in again, hitting that damn whatever-it-was and he let out a noise that was suspiciously close to a wail. Great, now everyone on the ship was going to know exactly what they were doing (…whatever, let’s face it, they already knew and Alfred hoped that heard, especially that dick Sadiq-try and deal with this blaspheming, asswipe), but he couldn’t seem to stop. It had felt amazing with the pressing and the brushing; it felt fucking unreal when Arthur thrust into that spot, like he could actually explode into a puddle of boneless mush if he kept pressing right there.
“Ar-Arthur I-you gotta do something I’m-shit, don’t just stop though!” He pushed up to his elbows as Arthur drew his fingers out, a hot glare ready on his face. He was never allowed to stop touching him like that, never, ever again. Arthur smirked at him and wiggled three fingers in his face and Alfred felt a dark, hot lick of want bubble up under his skin. Gods, he wanted three fingers, he wanted those more than he could remember wanting anything else before (except maybe Arthur and Arthur’s dick, but he kind of got those with the fingers so it all worked out).
If you really want to bottom tonight, you’re going to need more stretching than two fingers.
Alfred nodded dumbly, jaw slack and jerking his eyes up when he felt Arthur press in all three slick fingers at once. Gods, it burned, but it burned so good; his arms gave back out and he fell back to the bed with a slight oomph. The stretch and slide of Arthur’s fingers, the way the kept rubbing against his walls, every single fucking press up against that spot-he felt like he was going to come. Which was weird because his poor dick had been kind of neglected this whole time and-
“Oh fucking hell, Arthur!”
Arthur chose that particular moment to lean down and take the head of his cock straight into his mouth-Alfred was going to die. He was going to actually die from the most awesome sex on the record of ever (seriously, holy hells) and he didn’t even care because he never wanted Arthur to stop and-and-and then it was swelling up and out of him and the next thing he knew, he was blinking up at the ceiling, feeling like he could float away. He felt shaky and limp, like all the energy had been sapped right out of him; he couldn’t remember ever feeling so good before in his life. He angled his head down and caught sight of Arthur staring at him with wide eyes-Alfred’s eyes zeroed in on the little bit of something shining wetly on the corner of his mouth.
Well, if that wasn’t the sexiest thing ever (in a weird, should-be-gross kind of way); Alfred felt a jolt of heat run through him and before he really was aware of what he was doing, he was pushing his entire body up with one arm and wrapping the other around Arthur as he kissed him hard. He could actually taste himself on Arthur’s tongue and that was just-for once, ‘awesome’ didn’t quite seem to cover how amazing that was. Alfred felt the vibrations of Arthur’s moan on his lips and he pressed them tighter together; without thinking, he pulled all of Arthur’s weight onto his torso and flipped them over on the bed so he was pressing Arthur down, crowding him so that he could feel every dip and press of Arthur against his skin.
You’re…you’re strength, Alfred…oh gods…don’t stop, never stop touching me…
Arthur mumbled those words (which Alfred admitted he didn’t really pay one bit of attention to) out between heated kisses and Alfred was happy for once that he could hear them in his head; that meant they could keep kissing and Alfred never wanted to stop. He rocked his hips down, hard, into Arthur’s and even though he’d just came, pressing up against Arthur’s dick, still very hard and wanting, sent little tremors up his spine. He continued rocking down, hard and faster, wrapping his free arm around Arthur’s waist so he could yank him up closer, until he felt Arthur tense and his head arched back as he shook through his orgasm (…orgasm sounded like such a weird word…). Alfred leaned forward and pressed open mouthed kisses into the taut muscles of Arthur’s neck until he started to go slack, shaky fingers reaching up to hold onto Alfred’s shoulders as he lowered him down to the bed. Alfred pressed a kiss on Arthur’s mouth before he rolled off, collapsing next to him on the bed with a big, blissed out smile, relishing in the just-enough burn in his thighs and ass.
That had been…fantastic. Awesome. Any other cool word he could come up for great.
A part of him was a little upset that they hadn’t actually, you know, done it, but if that was any indication of what he had to look forward to, he was a-okay with doing other stuff first. More than okay. Super-duper okay, in fact. He reached over and pulled Arthur over so that he was sort of draped across his chest; he hummed in happiness and cuddled his face into Arthur’s messy hair. “That was-that was awesome, Arthur. Like really, really awesome. I mean, I’m kinda sorry I didn’t last all that long and we didn’t actually have sex but-”
What do you mean we didn’t have sex? What the bloody hell do you call what we just did?
Alfred smiled; Arthur’s words sounded mumbly and tired, even in his head. “Well, I mean, you didn’t like, you know, with your dick or-anything. Just your fingers and, Gods Arthur, and your mouth-and I just sort of rubbed you.”
Arthur shook a little against Alfred; he was laughing again and his eyes were bright when he looked up and met Alfred’s. Alfred, you idiot. Sex is more than just penetrative sex. I can assure you, what we just did, was sex and was highly satisfactory for me. I’d ask if it was for you, but I’m fairly confident your banshee wail is all the answer I need. And the rest of the crew at that.
Alfred blushed and felt his smile grow a bit shyer. He felt kind of stupid know but-somehow, Arthur, even when he was insulting him, never managed to make him feel bad about having stupid moments. “Yeah it was-I mean, I’ve never felt like that before. What the hell were you even touching in there?”
Arthur ducked his head back down and rested it against Alfred’s sternum. Your prostate. I’m beginning to think your education is a bit lacking due to your gallivanting across the world.
“Well, good thing I have a new, sexy teacher then, huh?”
You’re impossible.
Alfred didn’t say anything at first, but then, just to be sure, “So you really okay that you didn’t get to top?”
I can completely assure you that I am perfectly happy with what we did. To be honest, Alfred, I doubted we’d do that tonight as it was-it’s not something you just jump into if you’ve never really paid much attention to touching yourself there before. Alfred blushed again, but Arthur just kissed the skin above his heart softly and cuddled closer. We have plenty of time, love. We’ll get there.
Alfred grinned and closed his eyes, sinking down deep into the bed, sleep, and Arthur, let himself forget that he’d have to keep his hands to himself once they reached Zion. He was right after all-it was a long trip across the Medii. They’d definitely be making the most of it.
Next Chapter
*****
*Sesel - Creole for Seychelles
*Anatolia - From Greek, this refers to the ancient region which would become modern day Turkey
*Rhys - Wales
“I don’t understand why we must go through all of this now, Esther. We are at least four weeks away from Herzliya-wouldn’t it make more sense to review all of the customs and practices once we are closer, so they are fresher in our minds?” Seychelles couldn’t help but echo Rosa’s reasoning and glanced up at Esther’s serious face. She didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb once they reached the Byzantium, but she also had quite a lot to do before they reached Zion; going over customs and things to expect so early seemed a little premature. “And why are we split up men and women? I’m sure Sadiq has plenty of insight that we could learn from as well; he has lived in the Byzantium longer than you.”
“We’re learning it now because you will need to practice what I teach you here so that you draw as little attention to yourself as possible-you will be lucky if you can master everything in four weeks. And there are different rules for women than men, and Sadiq, being a man, wouldn’t be able to go over those things satisfactorily. The Byzantium is a dangerous enough land as it is, even more so for foolish, western women who don’t know when it’s best to keep their mouths shut.”
Rosa glared at Esther but didn’t argue-Seychelles was grateful for it. She cleared her throat and drew both of the other woman’s attention to her. “I’m assuming these rules have to do with the oppression of women in the Byzantium, correct?”
Esther nodded and gave a thin-lipped smile. “Yes, captain. Though, you will find that many in the Byzantium do not view it as oppression, but rather protection-and many of the women agree with that mentality.”
“Did you?” Rosa’s voice was still sharp and almost looking for an argument. Esther, to her credit, didn’t rise to the bait and kept her calm.
“Obviously not, otherwise I would not be here. Zion is more relaxed than other Byzantium nations regarding women’s roles and rights, but it is still far different from Avrupa. After my Talent had been taken, I was expected to quit the military and start a family, a fate that was expected of me before Ivan had even attacked me. My family viewed my Talent being stolen as a disappointment, but nothing worth fretting over since I wouldn’t need to be in the military much longer-suffice it to say, they were displeased when I did not agree with them and set off to hunt Ivan.” Esther’s voiced sparked in anger near the end of her story; Rosa’s face softened a bit and Seychelles felt a pang of indignation for her crewmate run through her.
Seychelles had a feeling that travelling to Zion, and further through the Byzantium at that, would become much more complicated than most of her crew anticipated. She was just as excited as everyone else was at having found the mountain Arthur saw, to finally have a goal and direction, but travelling through the Byzantium wasn’t going to be easy. Especially if they were going to try to do it discreetly so not to alert Ivan how close they were to actually finding him. Seychelles’ home island wasn’t like the Byzantium at all, but she knew how much people from Avrupa stood out when they visited. They were mostly fair-skinned and bright-eyed, and stood out so obviously amongst all the dark skin of the islanders of Sesel*. It was almost painful at times, watching tourists wandering through the sea port towns, and if they were so obvious at home, they would be even more so in a land that was hostile and untrusting towards westerners. Listening to Esther speak about it and worry about how they were going to react-complicated didn’t quite cover the scope of what they were facing.
“And Zion is, again, more relaxed of the Byzantium nations, possibly because we are nearly constantly at war with our neighbors and can’t be bothered with all the tradition most of the time, but there are still certain expectations of women and if you draw attention to yourself as a westerner, you’ll only be creating problems down the road. Especially when we enter more closed off nations like Persica-this is as much for your own safety as well as for discretion. We won’t do anyone any good if we’re stoned to death by angry villagers before we can reach Ruthenia.”
“Stoned to death? Really?” Rosa’s voice was dripping with disdain.
“Yes. Stoning is still considered a viable right of men against heathens and blasphemers and allowed in nearly every principality of the Byzantium. Even in the larger capitals where there is more progressive thinking, stoning is still likely to happen if someone is acting offensively enough.”
“Speaking my mind and when I chose to is hardly offensive!”
“Not to you, but to a Persican man, yes it is and it will draw attention to us,” Esther snapped. She rubbed at her eyes before taking a seat in front of them, looking at Rosa’s fiery anger with a weary, somewhat regretful look. “Listen, I do not agree with this, and I’m certainly not looking forward to having to wear a burka that hinders my movements and limits my fighting, nor am I looking forward to deferring to Sadiq or Alfred at nearly every turn, but it’s necessary if we want to make it through the Byzantium nations with minimal problems. Avrupa is filled with lands of change and progress, of art and acceptance-the Byzantium is a land of tradition and honor and they have a radically different way of thinking what constitutes those two things. If we are to survive, we must adapt ourselves to them, because they certainly aren’t going to do it for a group of ‘western filth,’ people they don’t want walking on their land as it is.”
Silence echoed between them for a moment before Seychelles broke it. “You’re right, Esther. We don’t have to like it, in fact I am sure we’ll hate every second of it, but we all knew we signed up for a difficult road when we decided to hunt Ivan. The crew will follow your and Sadiq’s instruction on whatever you deem necessary.”
“But captain-!”
“Everything, Rosa. Otherwise the past four years will have been for nothing. A few weeks of discomfort will not kill you, you are stronger than that.” Rosa met her stare for a moment before she huffed, but visibly deflated back into her seat. Seychelles gave her an approving nod before turning back to Esther, waving her to continue. “What is your opinion then? What should we be aware of not to do?”
“The first thing I would have you practice is walking. You both are women of power and command and it shows when you walk, it will show to these people, even under the burka. So, up.” Seychelles got to her feet, Rosa more slowly. “When you move, I would position yourself behind one of the men, and have your feet mirror their strides, just shorter and tighter to your body. Think of how Kiku walks. Subdued, controlled and aware. That is how you must adapt your own stride.”
Esther got back to her feet and pointed their attention to her feet and legs. She took small, measured steps across the deck and Seychelles thought it remarkable how something so simple made Esther, a proven warrior, seem meek. She did it across the deck and back before she beckoned them to try. Seychelles glanced down at how Esther was moving and tried to mimic the motions as best she could-it was awkward and slow going, not at all how she normal moved. She had a feeling she was failing horribly (the wobbling was probably not desired-but at least she hadn’t completely stepped out of line like Rosa had), but Esther didn’t say anything. She just watched them for a moment before she made a negating gesture with her hand.
“You need to keep your eyes lowered. In the Byzantium, for a woman to look at another man outside her husband or family without being addressed directly, which will not happen often unless you are the first wife of a Sheikh, is brazen and often considered an invitation. In the burka the only parts of you that are seen are your hands and your eyes, and even an innocuous motion or look can be interpreted as insulting or offensive. Zion will not have such harsh rules, as women do not wear the burka there, but once we enter Anatolia*, it is something you must remember and be aware of.”
“If we must look down and must shuffle our feet, how exactly will that give us an advantage if we are ambushed?” Rosa’s eyes were bright and she seemed to be working herself up again; she had a temper and let her emotions run away from her too often, Seychelles thought. “We might as well have a collar and leash attached to our necks, mis Dios!”
“First you must master how to move like a woman of the Byzantium; once you’ve done that, we can work on how you can manipulate the submission into strength.”
“A question, Esther. If women are kept under such tight control in these lands, how exactly are we going to handle the fact that none of us are married? I assume that it won’t matter to most of the Byzantium that we’re from Avrupa and are not expected to marry to be allowed outdoors.”
Esther met Seychelles’ stare and shook her head in minor disbelief. “I thought that obvious-we’re pairing up once we reach Zion and will be giving the appearance that we are married. Sadiq and I are paired together, you and Francis, and Rosa will be paired with Alejandro, and don’t argue with me Rosa; you will work best at this with him. The ruse will only work if we are believable as a couple, and these pairings will work the best.”
“Yes, because you and Sadiq get along so well!” Seychelles agreed with Rosa on that point. Sadiq and Esther had all but ignored each other since he joined the crew-Zionites did not get along well with their neighbors was the only answer either of them would give.
“We are from the Byzantium and know best how to act; a group of westerners getting toured through the nations by a native couple will be much more believable-there are families who make it their business and livelihood in giving guided tours through the Byzantium for non-natives who wish to travel here. It is our intent to masquerade as a married couple who run such a business and you are our fare, perhaps there on a group honeymoon or something. It is the path least likely to cause questions or attention.”
Seychelles nodded and Rosa deflated back against her seat a second time, her pout very clear on her face and making her look about ten years old. The plan Esther was proposing did sound like it would work and frankly, she was looking for the easiest way to get through the Byzantium they could find. If that required all of what Esther was presenting to them, then that was what they would have to do; simple as that. She glanced over at the group of men who were to go ashore and took in the angry look on Alfred’s face. Arthur looked resigned and was rubbing at his temples while Kiku attempted to calm Alfred down. “I am assuming that if unmarried women are not welcome, those who lie with the same gender aren’t either.”
Esther blinked at her, her gaze flicking over to the men for a moment. “I would have thought Sadiq’s attitude would have given you that answer. He is more progressive than most Byzantium men, which should certainly give you a hint as to what the majority of them are like. It is going to be a hard road for us all.”
Seychelles hummed and watched them for a moment longer before she turned back to Esther, focusing her mind from problems she could not control to those she could. “Show us how to walk again, please. If this is as important as you say, I want to be sure I master all that I can while we’re sailing.”
Esther nodded and demonstrated again, Seychelles and eventually Rosa, falling into awkward steps behind her.
*****
“This is bullshit! Just because some old guys an ocean away don’t like it, we have to hide and pretend we’re not together? What the hell, man?!” Alfred was fucking furious; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so angry, and that included the whole ‘Arthur-wandered-off-on-his-own-in-Spandow’ fiasco and Ivan attacking Mattie. Those had been angers mainly born from fear and worry-this was just good old fashioned pissed off, indignant and righteous anger. He was pacing the room angrily and had already thrown off his jacket; he really wanted to punch something, but Sadiq was huge and had a big-ass sword. That wasn’t going to end well for anyone, even if Alfred could feel echoes of his strength thrumming under his skin. His nostrils flared as he took in another deep, angry breath and he turned to glare at Arthur, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and watching him with calm eyes.
Why the hell wasn’t he angry? “Aren’t you pissed? This fucking sucks! And the whole time that jackass was telling us how we needed to keep the ‘blaspheming under wraps’ and ‘act normal’ he had this stupid little smirk on his face. We are normal, just because the Byzantium is so back-ass-wards doesn’t mean we’re suddenly wrong! I want to kick him so bad, like in the shins…or his face.”
I wouldn’t suggest it. His sword is nearly as large as he is.
Alfred stopped pacing and stared at Arthur, whose collected expression made him even more upset. “Why are you so calm about all this? Aren’t you mad that we’re gonna have to be miserable for like weeks? I thought that-why aren’t you upset?”
Arthur sighed silently, but Alfred could almost hear a whisper of it against his mind with the pendant on. I am, Alfred. But there’s no changing it-you don’t have to agree with it, but we’re not going to change the way an entire continent thinks.
“Well, we should! That’s crap that they discriminate against so many people for nothing other than being different because they think it’s wrong! It’s not even wrong, not from where we’re from!” Arthur finally started to look annoyed; he stood to his feet and pushed his hair out of his face.
And that is what you don’t understand, Alfred. We’re not in our homelands, we’re in theirs and when you’re different in a land that doesn’t accept it, you must adapt yourself to survive! Am I happy about it? Of course not, but this is not the first time I’ve had to pretend to be something I am not, and just because you’ve never had to doesn’t mean you can accuse me of not caring just because I’m not acting like a petulant child, like you!
Alfred reeled back and wanted to argue (he really, really did), but the words dried up in his mouth. He hadn’t really thought about that-he didn’t think anyone really thought about what it must’ve been like for Arthur before he joined the crew. He felt a rush of guilt and shame settle in his stomach and the tension slowly left his limbs and face; Arthur huffed and rubbed at his temples before he turned just enough so that he wasn’t facing Alfred. They stood awkwardly for a moment before Alfred took a deep breath, steeling himself, and stepped forward enough to touch Arthur’s shoulder hesitantly. Arthur didn’t turn his way but he didn’t jerk away either-Alfred hated that he was still so bad at this. Half the time he didn’t know what was the right thing to say, and the other half of the time it freaked him out how much he cared about Arthur and he ended up looking like an idiot. It was frustrating how complicated everything was turning out to be when he always thought being in love would be the easy part after finding someone.
As it turned out, falling in love was the easy part, staying in love though? Not so much.
“I wasn’t-I’m sorry, Iggy, I didn’t really think and was just so angry, mainly because Sadiq is an asswipe, but I don’t think that-shit, I’m saying it all wrong, can you help me out here?”
Arthur snorted, the motion unmistakable, and angled himself so that he met Alfred’s eyes with his own, not upset really but still unimpressed. You’re sorry you acted like a bullheaded sod and you didn’t mean to imply that I am not as upset by this whole scenario as you are because I wasn’t throwing a tantrum, therefore implying that I obviously am not as invested in this relationship as you, which was something I’d rather hoped we’d passed with the numerous discussions, all of which were uncomfortable, we’ve had regarding the subject.
Alfred winced. “Yeah, all that. Sorry, I really didn’t mean to be such a jerk and imply any of that stuff. Just pissed, you know? We shouldn’t have to hide just because a bunch of old farts can’t deal.”
Arthur’s mouth quirked up a little in humor as he nodded; he patted Alfred’s hand before moving to sit back on the edge of the bed and Alfred followed his movements before he followed, sitting down beside him. “So, uh, did you really have to hide like that in Britannia?”
Arthur gave him a look of disbelief. They were going to behead me, Alfred. They chased us out of town by pitchforks. What do you think?
“But what about your family? Or friends?” Alfred’s heart clenched a bit when he saw Arthur smile darkly and shake his head.
My relationship with my brothers is not the same as what you have with Matthew. The only person who didn’t treat my Talent as something to be ashamed of was my mother, and she died when I was seven. I was encouraged to not use my Voice in our home and after my father passed, my eldest brother made it very clear that they would support whatever the townspeople wished if my Talent was discovered. As you saw, that included getting my head chopped off. The only brother I even remotely got on with was Rhys*, and he skipped town as soon as I was old enough to apprentice at the bookshop to be with some chit of a girl he’d met in Londinium.
Arthur shrugged but didn’t look upset-he just looked resigned and a tad regretful. He must have taken in Alfred’s face though because his eyebrows softened down a bit and he grabbed Alfred’s hand comfortingly. He shouldn’t have been the one comforting; he should have been the comfortee. Alfred shook his head and tightened his fingers around Arthur’s. “I’m really sorry, Arthur. I mean, I knew that Britannia was kind of harsh to people who had gifts but-that sucks about your brothers.”
You don’t need to apologize; you can’t help how they think.
“Well, no, I know that but-I was being really insensitive before, about the whole needing to hide our relationship and stuff, when you’ve dealt with this crap like your whole life!”
You’re insensitive nearly every time you open your mouth, Alfred.
Alfred smiled a little because Arthur had definitely said that with humor. “Maybe, but I was worse this time.”
Arthur rolled his eyes but leaned over and kissed his neck regardless; Alfred felt a rush of warmth from the simple touch and he felt both happy that Arthur wasn’t pissed at him anymore and unbearably depressed because soon they wouldn’t be able to do stuff like that. Not without being super careful and that made kissing and stuff more like a chore; Alfred liked the surprise kisses and touches, they were spontaneous and he love spontaneity. He sighed noisily and rubbed at his eyes under his glasses; Arthur sort of started to glare at him, probably thinking he was about to start complaining again. And maybe he was, but it wasn’t angry complaining (ranting, Arthur called it) so he ignored it and flopped down onto his back, one hand resting under his head like a pillow. “This is going to suck. A lot. Major suckage. I mean, we touch like all the time, right? Now we’re going to have to walk on opposite sides of the group just to be safe.”
Safe from what? It was his turn to give Arthur an unimpressed look and he hated that the smirk on his face made him want to kiss him more than ignore him.
“From doing stuff that will get us stoned to death.”
Ah, that.
“Stop playing dumb, you’re really bad at it.”
You would be an excellent judge of that. That was it. Alfred huffed and snatched Arthur’s arm in his hand and pulled him down onto the bed; Arthur’s face went slack in shock at first, but by the time that Alfred was settled above him, still holding him down by his arm, he looked more amused than anything else.
“I think you should stop being a jerk.”
I think you should put your mouth to better use and start making up for the time we won’t be able to do this. Alfred went red to the tips of his ears and a coil of warmth settled in his stomach, but he leaned down and complied with the demand. He moved in between Arthur’s legs and his hands drifted off of Arthur’s arms to trail down his sides, freeing Arthur’s arms to reach up and lock behind the nape of his neck. Arthur surged forward and up into Alfred’s mouth and he let out a stream of air that sounded like a sigh in Alfred’s head; he wished for the millionth time he could actually hear that noise out loud, not just in his head. Alfred let out a whimper (it was a manly whimper though, not wimpy or anything) when Arthur took his bottom lip between his teeth and he rocked forward, pressing their hips together. Alfred felt too hot and too pressed in all at once and the feeling curled in his stomach, rushing out from the bottom of his feet to the tip of his nose.
Arthur pushed up halfway into a sitting position, legs still stretch out in between Alfred’s, and he worked his hands under Alfred’s tunic, pulling it up and over his head with quick movements; Alfred let out a deep, much more appropriate groan as his hands crawled up his chest before dropping back down to work on the button of his pants. He hooked has own hands behind Arthur’s neck and angled his head sharply, mapping out the inside of his mouth with his tongue, feeling the quick intake of air flutter across his lips. Arthur abandoned trying to work his hand inside Alfred’s pants and tugged him back down as he fell back to the bed, getting Alfred’s hands stuck behind them for a moment until they were roving all over again.
“Arthur? Remember what-what we talked about in Liz’s house?”
Arthur moved his mouth to Alfred’s neck and he could feel the hum against his skin. Alfred let out another groan as Arthur nipped and licked his way down Alfred’s neck to his shoulder, paying a bit more attention to the juncture where they met before moving back up. He pushed himself away a little, created space between them enough to look at Arthur, knowing that he couldn’t be able to think anything, let alone ask what he wanted to do, if Arthur kept touching him everywhere. Arthur’s face was flushed and his lips were bigger and wetter than usual from kissing and Alfred had to struggle to keep himself from swooping straight back down again.
“You remember what we talked about? What I wanted to do?”
Arthur’s breathing did not calm down from the pause in activity and he nodded slowly, eyes hooded and glazed as they looked up at him; Alfred loved it when Arthur looked at him like that. Made him feel more confident, more handsome and more everything really. “Yeah? Well-I still really, really want to. If you want to, I mean.”
Arthur pushed himself back up onto his forearms so his face was close to Alfred’s. Of course I still want to. That is possibly the stupidest question you have ever asked.
Alfred grinned and leaned in a little so their noses were touching and brushing. “Yeah?”
Yes. Alfred chuckled a little with emphasis he felt on the word in his head.
“So-so that’s awesome then! Do I need to-I mean, is it easier or-what should I do?” He felt stupid asking like that but-he really didn’t know what to do and even though he really wanted to do this, he was kind of nervous too (but that was normal…he was like ninety-nine percent sure of it). Arthur didn’t laugh or scoff at him though; he just nodded as if he understood all of what Alfred was trying to say in those stuttered sentences and pushed himself up all the way. Alfred scooted back onto his knees to make room and moved over to switch positions at Arthur’s wordless gesture, feeling a thrill of anticipation run through him as Arthur settled over him. He really had been thinking about this for weeks-almost constantly (he’d keep that to himself though, he was pretty sure saying that out loud just made him a pervert or something). And now, it was happening, and that was the only thing that was making the idea of what awaited them once they got to Zion suck a little less.
Well, first thing first. This is infinitely easier when you’re naked. Alfred let out a breathless kind of laugh and nodded, reaching down and finishing what Arthur had started earlier before shucking the pants and underwear off. Arthur did the same and there was a moment where they both seemed to realize this was still new, seeing each other completely naked. It wasn’t awkward exactly, but it still felt a little nerve-wracking. Then Arthur smiled and leaned down to press a soft, simple kiss to Alfred’s lips, pressing their bodies up against each other without clothing getting in the way. And it was fucking awesome.
“You-you’re so freaking sexy, Artie. I swear, like the sexiest thing ever, and I mean yeah I don’t really have a lot to compare it to but just, yeah.” The press, slide, and touch felt way too good to feel self-conscious over what he was saying. Arthur’s cheeks colored and his fingers brushed down Alfred’s leg, teasing into his thigh but not touching anywhere Alfred really, really wanted him to touch. “Going slow? Worst idea ever. I mean, maybe not ever because it was a good idea at the time but we should’ve put a time limit on it, like a week…or a day, whatever.”
He was aware he was babbling, but he couldn’t seem to help it. Arthur just-he made Alfred feel things all the time and it made him act like an idiot, more so than usual. Babbling was included in his idiotic behavior, especially if it was babbling happening at a completely non-babble appropriate time, like when Arthur’s mouth started kissing up his chest and his cock rocked down against his own. He reached up and dug his fingers into Arthur’s back, keeping him close and pressing him down hard into a kiss when Arthur finally made his way back to his lips. Keeping his mouth occupied seemed the best way to stop the babbling, even if Arthur hadn’t said anything about it before.
Details started to blur away as they kept on kissing and touching and pressing-Alfred felt a little light-headed and couldn’t get enough to Arthur’s warm weight all around him. The first time they had sex, there was so much emotion and awkwardness and they’d tumbled into bed after kissing for the first time for crying out loud! They hadn’t really known how to touch (and by ‘they,’ Alfred knew he meant just him) each other and while it had been awesome, it could’ve been a lot better. This though, this was different. They’d had time to get used to being together, to figure out where they liked to be touched, where they liked to be kissed, and had gained comfort in just being near one another. It didn’t seem like much, but rolling around together now, all loose limbs and easy touches, Alfred had to admit it made a huge difference. He couldn’t remember a time he was more turned on and judging by the tremors in Arthur’s back and how quick his puffs of air hit his chest, it was the same for him.
Arthur pulled away a little and looked at Alfred with bright eyes, the green nearly black as his irises expanded in arousal. If we’re doing this, we’re going to need some sort of lotion or oil.
Alfred felt a flush attack his ears and he smiled shyly before he pointed to the small, beside table drawer. “Yeah, I kinda figured…so I got something when you were stuck in the library. I didn’t-I made sure Gilbert didn’t see what I got.”
Arthur smiled and gave a silent chuckle; Alfred loved it when Arthur laughed because he hardly ever did it. It made him look younger, freer, and more his age; it made Alfred feel like he could stare at him forever. He really wished he could hear it, out load, not just the echo in his head. Arthur leaned further away to pull open the drawer and grab the slim bottle of oil; Alfred had to clench his fists tight to keep from reaching up to tug him back. Arthur settled back in between Alfred’s legs and set the bottle to the side, his face still flushed but the excitement dimmed a little as he looked at Alfred seriously.
If at any time you are uncomfortable or want to stop, you need to say so. Bottoming isn’t something every man likes, and if you try to force yourself you’re only going to end up extremely sore and upset.
“I really, really want to though so-”
Arthur placed his fingers against Alfred’s lips, his face going a little stern. I’m serious Alfred. You need to be honest with me. Can I trust you to do that?
Alfred met Arthur’s eyes and nodded his head under Arthur’s fingers. The way Arthur was looking at him was-Alfred had never had someone who looked at him like that. Warmth of an entirely different sort erupted in his stomach and he had to fight the urge to giggle and flail a little bit. “Yeah, ok.”
Arthur nodded as he removed his hand. Good. Now, it’s normal for this to feel a little, odd, especially if you’ve never touched yourself there before and you’ll need to relax through it.
“Ok.” The moment Arthur told him he’d need to relax, he tensed up automatically in response; he took a few deep breaths and settled back down, letting the heat and lazy arousal swirling through him come to the forefront again. He wanted this, liked wanted it so bad it was hard to think about anything else, and it was happening; Gods, he was so hard it literally hurt. Arthur smiled down at him again and kissed the top of his knee softly before he grabbed the bottle and uncorked it. Alfred watched him drizzle a little onto his fingers before corking it shut again and then he laid his head back down, feeling awkward at watching Arthur start to lean towards his, well, his ass. There really wasn’t any other schmoopy or romantic word for it.
The first touch wasn’t as cold as he thought it would be and it actually felt pretty nice; Arthur was massaging around his hole and it was shooting coils of soft pleasure up his spine. Once the finger started pushing in though, that did feel weird and Alfred had to clamp down hard on the urge to wiggle away. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t exactly nice feeling-he knew it had to change though because Arthur had really liked it when he’d done this. Arthur didn’t rush or push too much too fast, just kept alternating between massaging and pressing one finger in until it did start to feel kind of nice. He let out a pleased little noise and felt Arthur pull his finger out completely-it was weird how he wanted it back almost immediately.
Arthur pressed in again, this time two fingers, and this time it did hurt a little. It stretched and burned in a way that reminded him of trying to do the splits for the first time when you’d never tried it before. He grimaced and this time he couldn’t resist the urge to wiggle away; Arthur’s free hand cupped the side of his face and Alfred looked up and met his eyes. He looked so-so fucking hot like this, face flushed, lips parted, and staring down at Alfred with so much emotion it brought a smile to his face despite his discomfort.
Breathe, love. Take a deep breath and relax-then I want you to bear down on my fingers. It’ll feel more comfortable that way.
“I don’t get why this obviously felt way better for you than it does for me right now.”
I’ll show you why, but you need to relax first; I can’t do anything with just the tips of my fingers in.
Alfred nodded and tilted his head back; it was weird, staring up at Arthur when his fingers were in his ass. It made him feel small but safe all at once-it was easier to deal with that feeling when he could close his eyes. He did as Arthur instructed and found it was a lot easier to take the fingers when he did bear down on them; it still felt weird but it didn’t hurt as much. Arthur moved them back and forth in a gentle motion until Alfred could feel the fingers pressed in all the way to the second knuckle. They felt okay, kind of, but mostly it just felt like he had something shoved up his ass. He was starting to wonder if maybe he was a guy who just wouldn’t like this, which really sucked because he’d really wanted to do this and feel what Arthur had obviously liked, but maybe that was just-
“Holy mother fucking Lady!” It felt like his entire body had just come alive all at once, waves of hellyessogood branching out from something deep inside his ass that Arthur had pressed when he crooked his fingers inwards. He had never felt something like that, ever, in his life. Sure, jerking off was nice, (sometimes it was really nice) but it had never felt like that touch had. He could feel his legs shaking and he blinked his eyes open, gasping out again when Arthur pressed in again. “Fuck…fuckfuckfuck…that feels so good…”
Good, it’s meant to. Alfred looked up and met Arthur’s face; he’d expected him to be smug or something, and while he did look a little pleased with himself, mainly, he just looked happy that Alfred was happy. He dragged his fingers out about halfway before he pressed them in again, hitting that damn whatever-it-was and he let out a noise that was suspiciously close to a wail. Great, now everyone on the ship was going to know exactly what they were doing (…whatever, let’s face it, they already knew and Alfred hoped that heard, especially that dick Sadiq-try and deal with this blaspheming, asswipe), but he couldn’t seem to stop. It had felt amazing with the pressing and the brushing; it felt fucking unreal when Arthur thrust into that spot, like he could actually explode into a puddle of boneless mush if he kept pressing right there.
“Ar-Arthur I-you gotta do something I’m-shit, don’t just stop though!” He pushed up to his elbows as Arthur drew his fingers out, a hot glare ready on his face. He was never allowed to stop touching him like that, never, ever again. Arthur smirked at him and wiggled three fingers in his face and Alfred felt a dark, hot lick of want bubble up under his skin. Gods, he wanted three fingers, he wanted those more than he could remember wanting anything else before (except maybe Arthur and Arthur’s dick, but he kind of got those with the fingers so it all worked out).
If you really want to bottom tonight, you’re going to need more stretching than two fingers.
Alfred nodded dumbly, jaw slack and jerking his eyes up when he felt Arthur press in all three slick fingers at once. Gods, it burned, but it burned so good; his arms gave back out and he fell back to the bed with a slight oomph. The stretch and slide of Arthur’s fingers, the way the kept rubbing against his walls, every single fucking press up against that spot-he felt like he was going to come. Which was weird because his poor dick had been kind of neglected this whole time and-
“Oh fucking hell, Arthur!”
Arthur chose that particular moment to lean down and take the head of his cock straight into his mouth-Alfred was going to die. He was going to actually die from the most awesome sex on the record of ever (seriously, holy hells) and he didn’t even care because he never wanted Arthur to stop and-and-and then it was swelling up and out of him and the next thing he knew, he was blinking up at the ceiling, feeling like he could float away. He felt shaky and limp, like all the energy had been sapped right out of him; he couldn’t remember ever feeling so good before in his life. He angled his head down and caught sight of Arthur staring at him with wide eyes-Alfred’s eyes zeroed in on the little bit of something shining wetly on the corner of his mouth.
Well, if that wasn’t the sexiest thing ever (in a weird, should-be-gross kind of way); Alfred felt a jolt of heat run through him and before he really was aware of what he was doing, he was pushing his entire body up with one arm and wrapping the other around Arthur as he kissed him hard. He could actually taste himself on Arthur’s tongue and that was just-for once, ‘awesome’ didn’t quite seem to cover how amazing that was. Alfred felt the vibrations of Arthur’s moan on his lips and he pressed them tighter together; without thinking, he pulled all of Arthur’s weight onto his torso and flipped them over on the bed so he was pressing Arthur down, crowding him so that he could feel every dip and press of Arthur against his skin.
You’re…you’re strength, Alfred…oh gods…don’t stop, never stop touching me…
Arthur mumbled those words (which Alfred admitted he didn’t really pay one bit of attention to) out between heated kisses and Alfred was happy for once that he could hear them in his head; that meant they could keep kissing and Alfred never wanted to stop. He rocked his hips down, hard, into Arthur’s and even though he’d just came, pressing up against Arthur’s dick, still very hard and wanting, sent little tremors up his spine. He continued rocking down, hard and faster, wrapping his free arm around Arthur’s waist so he could yank him up closer, until he felt Arthur tense and his head arched back as he shook through his orgasm (…orgasm sounded like such a weird word…). Alfred leaned forward and pressed open mouthed kisses into the taut muscles of Arthur’s neck until he started to go slack, shaky fingers reaching up to hold onto Alfred’s shoulders as he lowered him down to the bed. Alfred pressed a kiss on Arthur’s mouth before he rolled off, collapsing next to him on the bed with a big, blissed out smile, relishing in the just-enough burn in his thighs and ass.
That had been…fantastic. Awesome. Any other cool word he could come up for great.
A part of him was a little upset that they hadn’t actually, you know, done it, but if that was any indication of what he had to look forward to, he was a-okay with doing other stuff first. More than okay. Super-duper okay, in fact. He reached over and pulled Arthur over so that he was sort of draped across his chest; he hummed in happiness and cuddled his face into Arthur’s messy hair. “That was-that was awesome, Arthur. Like really, really awesome. I mean, I’m kinda sorry I didn’t last all that long and we didn’t actually have sex but-”
What do you mean we didn’t have sex? What the bloody hell do you call what we just did?
Alfred smiled; Arthur’s words sounded mumbly and tired, even in his head. “Well, I mean, you didn’t like, you know, with your dick or-anything. Just your fingers and, Gods Arthur, and your mouth-and I just sort of rubbed you.”
Arthur shook a little against Alfred; he was laughing again and his eyes were bright when he looked up and met Alfred’s. Alfred, you idiot. Sex is more than just penetrative sex. I can assure you, what we just did, was sex and was highly satisfactory for me. I’d ask if it was for you, but I’m fairly confident your banshee wail is all the answer I need. And the rest of the crew at that.
Alfred blushed and felt his smile grow a bit shyer. He felt kind of stupid know but-somehow, Arthur, even when he was insulting him, never managed to make him feel bad about having stupid moments. “Yeah it was-I mean, I’ve never felt like that before. What the hell were you even touching in there?”
Arthur ducked his head back down and rested it against Alfred’s sternum. Your prostate. I’m beginning to think your education is a bit lacking due to your gallivanting across the world.
“Well, good thing I have a new, sexy teacher then, huh?”
You’re impossible.
Alfred didn’t say anything at first, but then, just to be sure, “So you really okay that you didn’t get to top?”
I can completely assure you that I am perfectly happy with what we did. To be honest, Alfred, I doubted we’d do that tonight as it was-it’s not something you just jump into if you’ve never really paid much attention to touching yourself there before. Alfred blushed again, but Arthur just kissed the skin above his heart softly and cuddled closer. We have plenty of time, love. We’ll get there.
Alfred grinned and closed his eyes, sinking down deep into the bed, sleep, and Arthur, let himself forget that he’d have to keep his hands to himself once they reached Zion. He was right after all-it was a long trip across the Medii. They’d definitely be making the most of it.
Next Chapter
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*Sesel - Creole for Seychelles
*Anatolia - From Greek, this refers to the ancient region which would become modern day Turkey
*Rhys - Wales