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[sterngaze]

I love me some gen threads, especially funny or drama-filled ones, but I am also shamelessly here for shipping AUs. The general Liem-shipping vibe is "I want more than this, but I shouldn't & they can't possibly want me back," so if you're into that, I've got what you need. His default setting is very D&D-like high fantasy, but I'm comfortable playing him in modern fantasy settings as well. Pretty much any prompt can also accommodate Liem being a full vampire instead of a dhampir, if that's your thing. Prompts for inspiration: • Arranged Marriage: Liem's shady vampire family has arranged his marriage to you, but he seems a rather reluctant fiance. • Bodyguard Shipping: It's Liem's duty to keep you safe and out of trouble, possibly despite your best efforts. • Companion to Royalty: Reclusive vampire king Liem and YOU! Are you a gift from a local power? Sacrifice from the townsfolk? Or did you just stumble up the road to his castle during a storm? • Enemies to Lovers: Maybe Liem is a foreign agent trying to sabotage your country or organization. Or maybe you're rebelling against the current regime and he's trying to take you in. • Fake Dating/Fake Married: A relationship is your cover story while you're travelling for some secret reason. Gotta keep up appearances. • Hunter & Hunted: Are you a hunter trying to track Liem down? Or a snack that proved more than he bargained for? • Hurt (Comfort Optional): Whether he's hurt, sick, drugged, or just upset, two things remain constant: Liem needs help, and he doesn't want to accept it. But maybe you don't want to fix him anyway; maybe you want to make him worse. • Living a Lie: Whether you're undercover on a mission, or you lied to cover something up and now you have to commit, you're stuck playing a role until you accomplish some secret objective — or until you can shake off your nosy company. • Loss of Control: For whatever reason, one of you is struggling not to go berserk — or perhaps has already failed. If it's Liem, can you help him come back to himself, or are you the one pushing him over the edge? • Out of the Frying Pan: The classic "tried to help someone in trouble, ended up with a new and possibly worse problem" situation. But at least you're in it together! • Priest/Celibacy: Default here is that Liem is the priest, but it could go the other way. Smutty, or just laden with UST? You decide. • Texting: Stupid TFLN-style text threads, my beloved... • Random Scenario: For if none of the above tickle your fancy. contact. Sporelett | info. Link | permissions. Link

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[sterngaze]

[If Liem notes the stares that they attract as his husband leads him into the strange, magical hill — into the palace — he doesn't show any unease at the avid attention. He keeps his manners about him as he pays his respects to the High King, as he must, and attends Cardan's various introductions gracefully despite the extreme inconsistency of interest he receives in return.

Mercifully, although he discovers how unnervingly alike the master of Hollow Hall is to his own husband, he is not forced to cross paths with Dain. Considering the other things to which he must devote his attention on this first night in Faerie, that at least is a blessing.

Especially once he is left to his own devices, and he discovers with absolute certainty that it was only Cardan's presence that had kept the curious onlookers at bay before. An onslaught of attention converges on him almost immediately: questions, offers, invitations. Liem rediscovers the folk's seemingly unlimited love of dancing, which he recalls to a lesser extent from his wedding. He accepts these invitations readily, if only to stave off the others; by the time dawn comes, he has hedged and insinuated and made polite excuses a hundred times over and more, and told more tales than he can remember giving life to in the last six months combined. At the end of it, he is very nearly exhausted enough to fall straight into sleep as soon as he and his husband are shown to their rooms.

He doesn't, of course. He has never been so far from home or in so strange a place, and not even Cardan's familiar presence wrapped about him can settle the nerves jangling beneath his skin. Liem spends the morning wondering if his husband might be agreeable to forgoing sleep along with him just to keep him occupied, and eventually settles for rising to poke his nose through every inch of their rooms instead, padding over carpeted floors on silent feet. Cardan clearly needs the rest, and he expects that their ensuing nights will be no less busy.

Indeed, they are not. But at least rest does manage to find him after he finally acclimates to the palace atmosphere.

One side effect of their schedule since arriving in Faerie is that, in a rather novel turn of events, Liem often finds himself still abed when his husband rouses. There is nowhere for Liem to be without him, after all, and he has left his paperwork at home in Gusairne's (admittedly capable) hands.

So he has the pleasure of not only waking up in Cardan's warm embrace, but of enjoying the luxury of staying there until his husband is actually awake enough to get up — which, depending on how early Liem wakes, can sometimes be a good while. He continues to be loath to wake Cardan unnecessarily from his sleep, but when he does stir, Liem takes this as his opportunity to press drowsy kisses against whatever bit of bare skin is within easy reach of his mouth, sliding a sleep-warmed hand up Cardan's back.]

Tonight?

[He doesn't wait for a reply to the murmured question. It doesn't really need an answer.]

Finally: an opportunity to say another hello to your door.

[greenbriar]

Mm.

[ It is alarming how quickly he has gotten accustomed to the luxury of waking to Liem's touch; worse still is that he cannot imagine giving it up again. He shivers against the soft onslaught of kisses and pulls his husband more tightly against him. That is lovely, too, the slide of skin against bare skin, for once unmarred by exhaustion. He feels wonderfully insulated from the outside world, and the quiet rumble of Liem's voice only adds to Cardan's pleasure in having him here, in his arms and under his covers like a secret he's keeping from the world.

But it cannot last. After another moment of indulgence, he will open his eyes and glance at his sleep-mussed husband, illuminated by the soft glow of phosphorescent ores embedded in the carved stone walls of their bedroom. ]

In an hour or two.

[ Which means they should have been getting ready. Instead, he leans in to kiss Liem properly, apparently more concerned with this than with notions of punctuality. ]

[sterngaze]

[It is a testament to how wrapped up he is in the soft, contenting pleasure of Cardan's embrace that Liem doesn't immediately sit up at the news that they're expected to be at Balekin's estate in an hour or two. His eyes do snap open to find Cardan's, but how is he meant to object when his husband only takes the opportunity to draw closer and kiss him good evening? He so rarely has the luxury of enjoying the feeling of being held like this, indulging the illusion of unhurried indulgence, as if he has nothing more pressing to do than melt blissfully against his spouse in the privacy of their bed.

He does not hurry to pull back from Cardan's kiss — but when he finally does, it is with a raised brow, one pale hand slid round from his husband's back to press gently against his chest.]

That is information you could have shared with me before nightfall.

[Like perhaps the morning before, when they'd been going to sleep. Liem is dryly aware that his husband likely chose not to tell him any sooner because of the knowledge that if he had, Liem would not still be in bed with him right now.

That is about to change though, considering that he's now going to attempt to extricate himself from Cardan's grasp so he can rise.]

We are going to be late.

[greenbriar]

[ Cardan is going to be obstinate about this. His arm winds around Liem's waist, stubbornly unbudging. ]

Before nightfall, I was asleep.

[ And before that, he didn't want to have to think about it. He doesn't want to go, and though there is no avoiding it entirely, he cannot help but indulge in the childish impulse of putting off his unpleasant task. He doesn't know what Balekin will demand in exchange for his gold -- probably something that requires either submission or humiliation or both. Worse, Cardan has very little to negotiate with.

It's a foolish plan, and he'd rather not let it intrude on his cozy, warm bed for a little while longer. ]

My brother's revels don't start and end so much as they wax and wane. Beside, arriving on time would only make us look desperate to please him.

[ He pauses, struck by a thought. A moment later, he huffs out a slighlty amused breath. ]

Unless, I suppose, we pretend that I'm on time because you're controlling and uptight. That might piss him off enough to lend me his aid.

[ It's a stupid strategy, but Balekin is a possessive man. ]

[sterngaze]

[The arm wrapped about Liem's waist frustrates his attempt to get up and begin the process of readying himself for the night. Caught in Cardan's grasp, propped up on one elbow as he peers down at him, he frowns uncertainly down at his husband, paused in the midst of levering himself upright.

Cardan is more familiar with both his brother and the local customs than he. If he asserts that it would be better not to be too punctual, Liem has no choice but to trust his judgement.

Except.]

Your brother might give you his money to spite me?

[He ponders this a moment. Ostensibly, the reason Cardan needs his own townhome is to conduct affairs, which would be unquestionably humiliating to Liem, sooner or later. But of course, Cardan cannot actually claim as much, and obviously Liem can't lie for him about this.

However, acting like a controlling, work-obsessed prig is well within his capabilities, and that would invite all kinds of other assumptions about his marriage with a man like Cardan. If Balekin would chafe at the idea of his investment being under another man's control…

Liem leans closer to his husband again, sliding his arm back around him.]

Well, if I am to play the villain, you will need to get out of bed.

[This time, when Liem makes a move to sit up so he can rise, he will bring Cardan with him.]

[greenbriar]

[ Cardan's sigh is so dramatic it edges on a groan, but he gives up on his task of being a leaden weight and lets himself get hauled upward instead. ]

You are a villain, [ he will complain, even as he releases Liem to engage in a languid sitting stretch. For once, he feels a little less wrung out than he had for the past few weeks; for all of its flaws, Elfhame is nothing if not restful in comparison to Ironside.

But Liem isn't wrong, is the problem. If they are to make this plan work, they will have to be there disgustingly early and groomed to the nines, which takes time -- especially with Cardan's relatively inexperienced hands assisting Liem in dressing. He sighs again, and then rises, not bothering with a robe. ]

I could just go nude. It isn't so unusual.

[ Surely Liem has seen it, in the past few nights in Elfhame: some Folk truly do just arrive at balls wearing naught but a winning smile and a pretty necklace.

Of course, Cardan is joking, because no prince of Elfhame would do such a thing, even if the solitary folk might. ]

[sterngaze]

[The expression Liem wears as he "assists" his husband upright is perfectly sober, faltering not at all even at Cardan's aggrieved complaining. He is only doing as he must, after all; they don't have time to waste if they're to be truly, absurdly punctual. He watches his husband for a moment longer as he stretches, then slips out of bed himself to slide his shoulders into a robe waiting nearby.

Though a smile does cross his face briefly at the suggestion that Cardan might attend Balekin's party wearing nothing but his array of jewellery.]

You could… if your terrible, controlling spouse would tolerate such a thing.

[Perhaps Cardan's new husband does not want to see every faerie in Hollow Hall ogling his naked groom. He would not even have to be especially insufferable to hold such an opinion, though he might have to be a little jealous.

Liem himself is going to need a bath and a shave before he goes anywhere, nude or not — though of course, he wouldn't attend a party naked any more than Cardan would. He is already pondering what he (what they) should wear as he rubs absently at his jaw.]

What kind of parties does your brother throw?

[Or party, singular, if the revelry at Balekin's manner doesn't truly ever stop. Liem cannot imagine the work that must go into such a thing; he has to assume Balekin doesn't manage it all himself.]

[greenbriar]

[ Liem is going to have to hurry if he wants to beat Cardan to the bath; his husband is already advancing towards the large copper tub, separated from the bedroom via an intricately embroidered silk screen. The good news is that it's more than large enough for the two of them; the bad is that it takes some time to fill up.

He'll perch at the tub's edge as he turns on the tap, his voice carrying just above the splash of water. ]

The kind my terrible, controlling spouse would absolutely loathe.

[ He leans back, a little dangerously, teetering on th edge. The long tail hangs down into the water, its tuft already wet. ]

Balekin leads the Circle of Grackles -- those devoted to pursuing pleasure at any cost. [ He pauses before proceeding, drily: ] Difficult to know where I got it from, I suppose.

It will be much like the blood orgies you are used to, except with rather more orgy.

He will probably offer you some of the servants.

[ Which should really make Cardan reconsider going, or at the least going with his husband in tow. ]

[sterngaze]

[Given that the tub isn't going to be ready for anyone's use for a little while yet, Liem opts to ponder the wardrobe that they were able to bring with them across the sea. What does one wear to make an impact at probably the most debauched party one has ever attended? Rather — what does one wear to such a party when one is expecting to be the most sober, forbidding person there?

Dark colours, probably. For a moment he simply considers the collection of fabrics, rifling through different garments, his eyes intent as though on a puzzle he's been tasked with solving. When he lifts his voice to carry over the sound of flowing water, his fingers are perched on a glossily-embroidered jacket the deep blue of a star-studded midnight sky, of the kind he has seen often since arriving here.]

Your brother is bound to think me a rather perverse man.

[What lord of Faerie would attend a revel at a painfully punctual hour, only to scorn most of the entertainment? He can't imagine that is something that ever happens here — nor is it likely to happen in his father's court either, since Liem is now away. But then, Liem's habits have only been made more strange since his marriage to Cardan.

For now, he leaves the jacket hanging where it is and crosses the room to appear around the embroidered screen. The pensive frown on his face eases somewhat when he sees his spouse perched there, on the edge of the generously proportioned tub — though it does not vanish entirely.]

Are all of his human servants in such poor condition?

[greenbriar]

[ Cardan's face doesn't change. The way his eyes trail down from Liem's frowning face to the hollow of his throat, his collarbone, the drape of the robe over his bare chest-- all of it is opaque and unemotional, disinterested in the human servants and their hollow, gaunt faces. Only the tail splashes against the water, twitchy. ]

Yes, [ he says, as if he wouldn't prefer to avoid this particular subject altogether. He has never liked the servants -- their vacant stares are creepy, and the way they are actively dying at every point in their existence makes it worse. But that's an embarrassing thing to admit to; he continues to affect boredom instead. ]

Don't feel sorry for them, [ he warns, as if it will make a single shred of difference, ] they have made their bargains of their own free will.

[ As Cardan will, later tonight. He continues to not want to think about it. What he wants is to reach out and touch Liem, to draw his hands over his flank, his hip. To pull him close and bury his face in his scent, at least while they wait for the bath.

Instead, he lays light fingers against Liem's waist and looks up at him, searching that frown. ]

[sterngaze]

[There are many things that Liem could say about Balekin's treatment of his human servants; he could say that it is wasteful, that it is needlessly cruel, that it rather tellingly suggests a certain glee at having power over others, whose flagrancy Liem finds rather vulgar. He had not been expecting to like Cardan's erstwhile caretaker, but still Balekin has managed to surpass his expectations, and not for the better.

But he has been confronted with this scenario more than he'd like in his visits to other vampires' homes. Distasteful and, admittedly, discomforting as he may find it, he cannot say he is especially surprised.]

Somehow that does not compel me.

[His low murmur is distinctly dry. There is no bargain he can conceive of that would not render the fate of those humans just as abjectly pitiable as he might otherwise suppose. And for all his endorsement of Cardan's deceit of Balekin, there is no degree of blasé attitude that can ease the twitchiness Liem feels at the idea of escorting his husband back into this man's home.

He moves closer at the warm touch of Cardan's fingers, sliding his hands up his husband's thighs as he steps into his space.]

It is senseless — but so is dwelling on it. Regardless, I will not be swayed by the offer of servants who already stink of death. My duty is not to them, but to you.

[greenbriar]

[ Even as he shivers, pleasurably, at the slide of cool hands on his skin, Cardan is immediately distracted. My duty is to you strikes him like a stiletto to the ribs -- first a keen spike of warmth and then the brutal realization of just how foolish it is to feel this way. He knows his husband well enough by now to know that Liem means the words, but he would mean them regardless of whom he was married to. It's not Cardan himself that he's dutiful to, in the end, just the obligations of his marriage.

But that's a stupid thing to get hung up on when it is already more than he ought to expect. ]

Your duty is to staying out of trouble, [ he'll counter, unnecessarily. Liem is not a man particularly taken to getting into trouble, and he has, so far, performed admirably in keeping his nose clean. And although Hollow Hall is not without perils, they are more often of the violent kind, which Liem is unlikely to be subject to nor in much danger from. That, at least, is a relief. ]

...and being as insufferable as you can manage. [ He'll tangle one hand in the sleep-mussed hair at the back of Liem's head, rifling affectionately through the short strands. And even though he has already acknowledged the foolishness of his thoughts, the half-smile he gives Liem is helplessly charmed. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem had never thought to see the night where Cardan was the one warning him to stay out of trouble. As if Liem wasn't one of the most reserved and cautious vampires Cardan knew — probably one of the most cautious people he knew over all, frankly. The admonishment makes the corner of his mouth twitch up, a little charmed, even before Cardan continues. Liem's thumbs trace idle paths along the sharp slant of his hip bones as he dips his head, content with the feel of warm fingers tangled in his hair.]

The latter, I can agree on.

[He doesn't exactly want to alienate all the guests at Balekin's party, but if Balekin's temper is anything like Cardan's, he suspects that won't be necessary. And even if it is, he is more invested in ensuring that his husband's discussion with his brother goes well than he is in beguiling the pleasure-obsessed faeries at this event.

Leaning closer, he catches Cardan's mouth in a cool, unhurried kiss. The bath is not quite done filling yet; he has no reason not to indulge.

Softly, he adds,] But if my aim was simply to stay out of trouble, I would not be here with you.

[greenbriar]

[ Liem may have miscalculated in letting Cardan lure him so close. When he leans down for a kiss, he may just find himself trapped in the cage of Cardan’s arms, in the press of his bare thighs. Despite the wisdom of Liem’s directive to hurry, Cardan cannot help but want to tempt him back to bed, or else towards another diversion outside of it.

He won’t let Liem pull away from the kiss, either, chasing him with another, hungrier one. He’ll kiss his husband, and then he’ll bite him, teeth grazing over the soft skin of Liem’s lower lip. ]

And what kind of trouble would you like to get into, Liem?

[ His hands find their way into the robe, slide over Liem’s bare skin to find the small of his back, fingertips tracing up the line of his spine, covetous and a little restless about it. It feels like, since the very first moment of real intimacy between them, they have been trying to outrun a deadline: there is always a banquet, a meeting, a sunrise to end their time with each other. For once, Cardan would like to enjoy his marriage without the urgency of passing hours in the back of his mind.

It won’t be tonight, but for a few stolen moments, he wants to pretend that it could be. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem may have made an unwise move in drawing close enough to his husband for a kiss, but as ever, he cannot find it in him to regret the warm hands that slide beneath his robe or the hungry mouth that chases his when he thinks to pull away again. Even in the strange, too-real land of Cardan's birth, he alone remains the thing that is most alluring, most distracting. Heat flares in Liem's belly and behind his eyes when Cardan's teeth graze his lip; despite his husband's warnings, he cannot help but think that Cardan presents the most salient source of trouble he is likely to encounter even here. Any others, at least, he could more reliably turn away.

It is hard to break the spell that Cardan's restlessness and his want cast over Liem — most of all because he does not want to break it. He wants to fit himself back against his husband and take his time kissing him, without a thought to the other matters that always, inevitably crowd in on their private moments. That desire simmers beneath his skin, shivering along the path of Cardan's fingers, impossible to ignore.

And it is with painstaking restraint that he leans in further, his jaw scraping Cardan's as he moves to brush his lips against his ear. One arm reaches past him to turn off the low roar of the water, making his murmur suddenly loud against the silence.]

The kind that keeps me by your side, of course.

[greenbriar]

[ Cardan doesn’t know when Liem started saying things like this, nor when it started making him feel the way that it does— that painful little thump of his heart against his ribcage, fitful as a captive bird. He doesn’t know what to do with it; he knows only that he absolutely cannot show his reaction. His face stays impassive, his eyes fixed on a vague point over Liem’s shoulder. Still, he can do nothing about the way his hands tighten on his husband, nor the way his treacherous breath skips a beat.

His shiver is a little delayed, only a little for show. After all, the quiet rumble of Liem’s voice still feels pleasant, and the brush of his unshaven jaw will never not be novel — it’s just that Cardan is a little distracted from it.

As always, he takes refuge in insolence. His smile is slow and curling and more than a little wicked; he’ll turn his face so he can press his mouth to the place where Liem’s jaw meets his ear. ]

I think you have rather cornered the market on that kind of trouble.

[ Sometimes he wonders just how lonely Liem must have been, to give so much up for a man like Cardan. A selfless man would tell his husband that he could do better; a selfless man would not have remained married in the first place.

Cardan is not a selfless man, so he only breathes out and slides his hands down to cup Liem’s ass in his hands, indulgent with the feeling of his closeness. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem still doesn't know what to make of the way Cardan's breath catches at his words, or the way his hands tighten their covetous grip on him. Is it excitement? Relief? It's obvious to Liem that his husband doesn't want to make an official appearance at his brother's home, doesn't want to have the discussion with him that they crossed the sea for. Perhaps the task would be all the more harrowing, conducted alone.

For a quiet moment he simply wraps his arm around his husband and delights in the lingering warmth from the kiss at his jaw, and the irrepressible pleasure of having Cardan's hands on him. He has been spoiled by the evenings they've spent together here in Faerie. The luxury has only made him covet more.]

Mm. Just one of the benefits I claim as your lawfully wedded spouse.

[Despite his habitual inability to let his troubles fall onto other people's shoulders, to him, there is romance in the notion of making Cardan's troubles his own. Briefly, he stoops to press a kiss to the join of Cardan's neck and shoulder.

Then, with a small, somewhat wistful sigh, he straightens again.]

Best we don't allow the bath to get cold.

[greenbriar]

[ Cardan sighs with the heaviness of an individual extremely put-upon by fate and duty alike. He, too, will rise — bringing him even closer to Liem, trapped as he is between his husband and the tub. His hands sweep up, still unhurried, to trace Liem’s flanks, his chest, to flirt with his sharp collarbones and then flick upwards to push the robe off of his shoulders, so that it may pool at his feet.

Except it doesn’t, because Cardan catches it, meaning to steal it for himself. ]

You had better get in, then, lest you show up looking like a lumberjack.

[ That’s a generous way of decribing Liem’s evening whiskers, but Cardan has never yet let truth keep him from exaggeration. ]

[sterngaze]

[Despite his own suggestion that they should attend to readying themselves for their outing, Liem allows himself to linger another moment in his husband's grasp, letting Cardan's fingers wander up his flanks and chest in that idle way that makes him wish he could just melt into his touch altogether. His own fingers still loiter at Cardan's slim hips as the robe slides free of his shoulders, leaving him almost as bare as his husband.

Cardan's suggestion makes a little grin flicker over his expression, a brief flash of sharp teeth.]

No lumberjack has ever looked like this.

[He leaves no room for doubt, because he has none. Even if Liem has never seen his own face, he knows with full certainty that no human logger has ever possessed the air of refinement and danger that is his birthright.

But he nevertheless obeys Cardan's direction, lifting his forearms free of the robe and sliding into the tub like an exquisitely sculpted ice cube slipped into a drink.]

[greenbriar]

[ The flash of teeth does something to him he never quite knows how to categorize -- that mix of sharp thrill, heady desire, and the feeling that he's tangling with something ancient and ravenous, even though Liem is no more ancient than Cardan himself. ]

Arrogance is so dangerous on you, [ he'll opine, sliding himself into the garment. Their height difference is such that Cardan rarely gets to steal Liem's clothing, and he's not wont to pass off an opportunity now. And, unlike his spouse, he even goes through the formality of tying the garment shut, as a proper bath attendant might.

Well, a proper bath attendant with bare feet and peony petals from last night's revel still tangled in his hair.

It should have humbled him: attending someone else in this way. Theoretically, he could have demanded a servant help Liem get ready, but letting a Faerie servant near his husband's throat seems foolish, and besides-- Cardan doesn't hate it. In the few days they've spent in Elfhame, it has become an oddly comfortable routine.

And anyway, surely a man can be forgiven for wanting to touch his own husband.

Usually, he's not quite so up in Liem's business in the earlier part of his bath, but today, Cardan desperately longs for something to keep his hands busy with. So he settles in, just behind Liem, and reaches for one of the endearingly fussy soaps Liem insists on using. ]

Let me.

[ The last time he did this, it ended with mixed results. Given that they are heading to Balekin's estate, that seems appropriate. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem finds himself thoroughly unsurprised to see his jewellery-thieving husband slide the robe around his own shoulders once it has slipped free of its original wearer. Somehow the habit is a little charming to him; magpie-like. A desire to claim things associated with Liem for himself, even temporarily. As if it is not enough to take liberties with his husband; Cardan has to amuse himself with his husband's things, too.]

I shall endeavour to wield it judiciously, [he says lightly as he sinks into the heated water. This time, he politely doesn't ask to whom the danger would be.

By now, Liem reaches automatically for the modest collection of soaps at the tub's edge, having become used to the slightly more spartan routine of simply bathing himself upon rising in the evenings. He pauses when his husband's hand cuts in front of his, beating him to the bottle for which he'd been aiming — and, after only a brief pause, he allows his hand to fall.

As he settles back slightly, he murmurs,] A rare pleasure for me. You're not thinking of making us late after all, are you?

[greenbriar]

[ Cardan raises his eyebrows at Liem's (entirely warranted) suspicion. ]

Are you accusing me of seducing you under the guise of washing your hair?

[ He makes it sound like a delightfully ridiculous thing for Liem to suggest, even though he has made such a play before, and successfully at that. It is, perhaps, a little softened by the press of his mouth to the crown of Liem's head. ]

Very well, you suspicious creature. I promise on my dubious honour as Elfhame's prince that I shall only hasten our efforts to be insufferably early.

[ Since he cannot defy his promises, especially ones uttered so formally, surely that should assuage Liem's worries.

The pleasant scent of jasmine and amberwood floats in the air as he uncorks the bottle and lathers up his hands. Soon, those hands slide into Liem's hair, setting about the first of the many haircare steps his husband demands. ]

Consider, for example, that I'm not in the bath with you.

[sterngaze]

[How very like his husband, to speak his accusation with such brazen incredulity when they both know him to be guilty of just that very mischief in the past. Liem expects that — he expects Cardan to toy with him; he doesn't expect the press of lips against his wet hair before Cardan makes his theatrical little promise. He can only be glad that he is facing away from his husband, so he doesn't have to worry about the flicker of emotion that passes, soft and warm, over his face in the wake of his touch.

Instead, he gives a soft laugh, relaxing under the slide of gentle fingers through his hair. No — he never expects these little oaths from his husband, even temporary as they are. Why Cardan would place little pieces of his freedom so willingly in his hands, Liem doesn't know. For a man who is so unlike Liem, who rankles at the prospect of being compliant, it seems impossibly strange.]

You don't think it would be more efficient for the both of us to bathe together?

[His eyes are closed as Cardan massages the soap into his hair; his tone is mild, innocent, despite the hint of a smile on his lips.]

[greenbriar]

I think it would be far more pleasurable.

[ Despite his professed hurry, Cardan is thorough about Liem's hair -- if only because he expects his husband wouldn't stand for a sloppy effort. But there is a strange delight in this, too, in drawing soapy fingers through Liem's soft hair, in massaging tight little circles over his scalp, in trying to loosen some of the tight knots in the muscle at the nape of his neck. An unselfish kind of pleasure, which is a rare experience for Cardan indeed. ]

But unlike certain deviates in my acquaintance, my tastes are simple and modest, and so I do not wish for undue frustration.

[ His fingertips trace the shape of Liem's ear, a little wistful. He wishes they had time for more; he always wishes they had time for more. It seems that he must ever be content with far less.

He did promise, however, and so he can only sigh and press his fingers to the base of Liem's neck, urging him to tip forward. ]

[sterngaze]

[Though Cardan has volunteered his assistance multiple times now, Liem continues to be surprised by his husband's evident desire to attend him personally, and he is further plagued by a growing wistfulness at the prospect of having his hands on him in this way more than just once in a while. The smile on Liem's lips turns a little crooked; how impossible to please he is, wishing for more of something he has no business receiving to begin with.]

I would not have dreamed I'd hear my Faerie-prince husband say such a thing.

[It tickles him, particularly as his husband outdoes him in his indulgence in luxury in plenty of areas — though to be sure, it seems bathing is not one of them. Liem tips his head willingly at the press of his hand, his eyes still contentedly closed, and lets Cardan rinse the soap from his hair. It is another slow, unhurried moment before he straightens again.]

And still, I continue to play the insufferable party guest with an allergy to pleasure.

[He has not been particularly wild even by the standards of Eldred's court; he cannot imagine the revellers at Hollow Hall will be impressed.]