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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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[greenbriar]

[ Liem is so rarely cheeky; despite all his games and his teasing, Cardan never quite expects his playful smiles nor how vulnerable he is to them. The secretive murmur provokes an odd flutter in his chest, which he has no recourse for -- only the twitch of a smile and the brief press of his arm around Liem's waist, before he pulls away.

He does not attempt a counter immediately; it seems like he might have forgotten about the game entirely as they ride through the woods. Now and then, Cardan raises his face to the sky, searching the slant of moonlight. Evidently, he was serious about the early hour's deadline. ]

We have forever, [ he counters, his easy tone belying just how much optimism the statement demands from them both. They have forever, assuming Dain doesn't murder them both -- and even forever is fleeting before an assassin's blade.

But Cardan wishes not to consider such things, so he doesn't. Instead, he urges his horse forward, ahead of Liem's, and then-- sharply left, into what appears to be nothing but greenery at first glance. In fact, it is a needle-thin, winding path, its mouth entirely concealed by bushes heavy with violet berries. The woods around them rustle as crepuscular creatures flee, startled by the sudden intrusion into their domain. ]

[sterngaze]

[The expression Liem wears in the wake of Cardan's proclamation is quiet, neither agreement nor dissent, and he makes no immediate reply. He only follows his husband, contemplative, as they head further into the wood.

He had not expected that sentiment from a man who seemed to scorn patience and planning in favour of wringing whatever satisfaction he could from his days. Delayed gratification did not seem to be something he particularly enjoyed. But perhaps that is just the kind of person Cardan is, with no bearing on his expectations for the future. And, after all, assuming they are successful in their plot, his husband has every reason to suppose their time together will last just as long as he wishes it to.

His thoughts occupy him so thoroughly that it isn't until they have already turned onto the winding trail through the trees that a frown steals over Liem's face, aimed at their surroundings and then at his husband's well-attired back as they ride. This seems an odd way for them to be going, for two men supposedly heading for the crossing to Insweal.]

Where are you taking me, husband?

[greenbriar]

[ Since his back is turned to Liem, he is free to show the sharp, anticipatory grin that steals its way onto his face. Nothing else betrays him; the hold of his shoulders remains perfectly straight and reasonably relaxed, and his traitorous tail is, as always, safely tucked away inside his shirt. ]

What do you mean? [ he asks, innocent to the core. ] Surely you cannot have forgotten.

[ Liem hasn't, of course, because Cardan never told him. Oh, he had explained all about the revel, that they had been invited, and how to get there. He'd talked about how exciting it would be. But he had never once said that they were heading to the Isle of Woe this night, even if any reasonable person would surmise as much. Neither fey nor mortals -- nor vampires -- are immune from making unwise assumptions, as it turns out.

Cardan isn't looking to trap Liem in an inopportune deal, of course -- he only wants to surprise him, to show him something unexpected and hopefully pleasant. He's never had a chance to plan a birthday party for anyone; it seems only reasonable that he do his best.

And they are almost there, anyway; the path is turning narrower, the tree cover more dense. Up ahead, the path appears to end entirely -- blocked by a massive rock wall covered in vines. ]

[sterngaze]

[Nothing could be more suspicious to Liem, more damning, than Cardan’s innocuous skirting of his question. His utter lack of a reaction says more about their actual destination than he himself has all evening, or any night prior, and Liem’s eyes bore holes into the back of his shoulders as Cardan continues to lead them, perfectly unbothered, through the increasingly overgrown little trail winding through the trees.]

I must have, [Liem says dryly, being not at all constrained to the literal truth as his deceitful husband is.] Since I cannot recall any plans for our night that involved…

[Where has Cardan brought them, really? They are somewhere deep within the forest, certainly, but the trees crowding the path make discerning anything around them difficult even for a man whose eyes cut through the dark with perfect ease. When he leans a little to one side in an attempt to peer further up the path, all he glimpses is an overgrown wall of rock. It seems to be a dead end — but it has belatedly occurred to him that he should be doubting how things seem for this outing.

Well—] … Mm. Detours to out-of-the-way parts of the Crooked Forest.

[greenbriar]

Detours?

[ Cardan's tone is mildly questioning, like he's never considered this take on their outing before -- though a soft note of amusement creeps into his voice as they continue. ]

This is not a detour.

[ He says it so reasonably, even as his horse stops before the solid stone wall, unwilling to go further. Nonplussed, Cardan will dismount. He approaches the wall with odd, silent steps, as if he were a ghost traversing the forest rather than a man. But he is real, after all -- when he pulls the riding glove off his right hand and reaches out, the ivy parts for his bare palm, letting him touch the cool stone.

Then he turns his face to the moonlit sky, expectant of... something. ]

[sterngaze]

[Frustratingly, Liem cannot quite recall if Cardan had ever actually said that they would go to this revel he’d seemed so excited for. Certainly he does not remember him outright saying as much this evening, during their preparations. But at the time, it seemed so much like he had that Liem still struggles to make himself believe that he really was just hoodwinked completely.

In retrospect, it does lend his restless energy rather more of a mischievous air.]

Then you were in quite a rush to get us to the middle of the woods in a timely manner.

[His tone is still a little dry, a little puzzled as Cardan dismounts and moves over to the stone wall. What hurry could there have been, to get them both out here before twilight’s colours fully receded from the deepening night sky? He can hardly see the sky for all the trees, anyway, though, noting his husband’s expectant attention towards it, he finds himself suddenly curious to see what he’s looking for. Liem cannot help but glance again skyward, and then back to his spouse, his pale eyes reflecting the sky’s fading light as he looks between them.]

[greenbriar]

I was, [ agrees Cardan, perfectly unselfconscious if a little distracted. He's still unerringly looking upward at the violet sky as it bleeds the last of its colour. Darker and darker and--

Darker still, all around them, as a cloud passes over the moon.

This, evidently, is what Cardan was waiting for. He pushes against the rock, and it parts like a doorway, moving with a fluid silence no rock formation ought to possess. Beyond is only darkness, and of such an unnatural velvet-soft quality that not even Liem's eyes will be able to pierce it. ]

Come, [ says Cardan, having finally regained some urgency. He steps inside the black beyond the door, pulling his horse along. The possibility of Liem's refusal to follow does not seem to occur to him at all -- there is no time for that, anyway. And surely his husband trusts him at least this much.

It is two, three steps in complete darkness, and then an exit into a different world entirely.

Rather -- it is still a wood, and likely the same wood they just came from -- certainly the same stars twinkle up above them, and the same moon is peeking out from the same cloud. Cardan steps out of the stone entrance -- a grotto, really, with moss-covered walls and a number of skittish lizards -- and onto a ground carpeted with clover.

The ample space he has led them to is enclosed in steep vine-covered stone walls on all three sides. The trees here are tall and thin, stretched in their yearning to reach the sun, with one exception: the giant wisteria that fills the center of the hidden place, its languid violet flowers swaying gently in the night's breeze. Sprites and lightning bugs flit through its branches, their twinkle like so many festive lights. Tucked away towards the right, built right into the stone itself, is what appears to be a very overgrown greenhouse, its wrought metalwork still exquisite even though some of the glass panels are cracked.

Cardan steps out into all this-- and then turns with a smile, to point to an arrangement of longleaf pines huddled together as if for comfort. ]

Ah. How obliging for the three of them to be here, still.

[ Well, they are still playing. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem is not sure what he'd been expecting when the cloud that Cardan was awaiting finally plunges the fading dusk into darkness, but the sight of the stone parting like a curtain is — somehow — probably about where he was heading. After all, he did not really think that his spouse had lured him here just to stop at a dead end. They surely were going to progress somehow.

But the silence with which the door appears is still uncanny, and the way Cardan disappears wholly into the darkness within makes Liem all but leap from his horse to lead it hurriedly after him. He mislikes how easily his husband has simply vanished — and when he steps into the doorway in his wake, he freezes for a brief moment at the foreign realization that he cannot see a single thing. It is as if his eyes had been plucked from his head.

Then he hastens forward again, very nearly colliding with the rump of Cardan's steed as he emerges back into moonlight, frowning warily as he breaks out of the darkness of the grotto. His eyes find Cardan like twin magnets snapping to iron. For a moment he does not even see the garden.

But then he looks, because Cardan points — and he sees the pines, and the wisteria, and the greenhouse, and all the rest. His expression softens to curiosity.]

What is this place?

[greenbriar]

[ He finds himself taken aback by the oddly intense look Liem directs his way -- for a moment, it seems like his husband is upset, which is the opposite of the effect Cardan was looking for. He has just enough time to start re-evaluating his choices in misleading Liem when his husband glances at the trees... and seems to remember that they are on a fun outing, playing games, and definitely not doing anything worthy of looking so tense for.

Cardan twists to look at the greenhouse as if evaluating it for the first time. ]

Someone's sanctuary, once upon a time. It was long abandoned by the time I'd made it mine.

[ Abandoned by all but the sprites and the wildlife, at least -- and all the better for it. He steps closer, reaching for Liem's hand with his still-bare one, so that he may lift it to his lips. ]

You must forgive me for deceiving you; I was told it would be imperative.

[ For the tradition of birthday surprises, naturally, which he has been educated on by a few of the younger and more excitable of the serving staff.

And if he can't help the grin that curves over his mouth, well-- he's never quite escaped his tendency of smiling when he's nervous, and he is a little nervous now. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem is discovering that he prefers games that don't involve his husband vanishing before his eyes into strange magical portals, but the garden does charm him, and so does Cardan when he brings his hand to his lips. He looks every bit the mischievous, enchanting prince of Faerie, and in a surprising turn of events, Liem finds that he once again has him all to himself. There is not another person in sight, and they appear to have now arrived at their destination.]

Were you? By whom?

[He allows a puzzled little smile to creep onto his face. Who would possibly have given Cardan advice like that — and more to the point, whom would he have actually taken it from? Surely no one in Elfhame would have any commentary about their marriage that would be worth listening to. Besides, there is no reason why Liem would object to accompanying Cardan to an abandoned forest garden, or why he would need to trick him to get him here.

And he had been convinced, by Cardan's behaviour earlier in the evening, that there was some sort of… special…

…

… … …]

What night is it?

[Puzzlement turns to dawning suspicion. His birth anniversary is tomorrow, right? It's not tonight, is it?]

[greenbriar]

[ Cardan's grin grows broad; truthfully, he had been uncertain whether he could keep up the ruse, and likewise concerned that Liem wouldn't be particularly surprised even if he did. But it looks like neither of his fears is coming to fruition; the expression on Liem's face is not that of a man who finds any of this to be predictable.

Hopefully, that also means he will be pleased. ]

A night for romance under the stars, don't you think? [ he answers smoothly, somehow unperturbed to be saying such a ridiculous thing. ]

...But if you require a concrete answer, [ as, of course, Liem is wont to do, ] it is the twenty-first of January, per Ironside's calendars.

A date which my husband has not mentioned to me whatsoever.

[ And if he sounds a little accusatory, it is definitely on purpose. It is, of course, perfectly in Liem's character to have neglected to share such a thing, given he has kept much bigger and more important secrets -- and still, Cardan cannot help but feel displeasure at the idea that Liem thought he would not care to celebrate with him. ]

[sterngaze]

[As Cardan gives his answer, the look that Liem aims his way turns a bit more intent, more meaningful, one eyebrow raised as if to ask, is that so? As ever, the more slippery he is under scrutiny, the more suspect Liem finds him. He is altogether unsurprised when, after another moment, his husband admits that the date is indeed the twenty-first, just as he had begun to suspect.

The urge to reply you didn’t ask floats up to tickle the back of his throat, but it occurs to Liem immediately that this would be unkind. He knew even before they’d been married a full two months that Cardan would have celebrated him in some way for his birthday, even if only just because being caught unawares would make him look thoughtless and inattentive. He really should have brought it to his attention.

Only, they’d been in the thick of travel plans by the time the year turned and the thought occurred to him. And he had thought it wouldn’t matter in any case, if the date passed while they were abroad, with no one else around to notice.]

Ah— But someone else did, clearly.

[One of his servants, perhaps? It might have been Iago, he supposes, though he wouldn’t have thought his father would suggest a surprise outing even if he’d thought to mention the date. Ultimately, it matters little where Cardan heard it.]

It is not a night to which I assign much importance. But, I see I was remiss not to tell you of it.

[greenbriar]

Oh?

[ His surprise is entirely put on. To say that he is unsurprised to find that Liem thinks the day of his birth inconsequential is an understatement. Even Cardan, whose birthdays have never been celebrated by anyone, likely assigns more importance to his.

But that's neither here nor there. He cocks his head and then steps in closer, slipping his free hand over Liem's hip. ]

I was led to believe it was an important event. [ His mouth curls against Liem's fingers, undeterred. ] Was I lied to, Liem? Shall we pack up and head to the revel?

[ He has no intention of doing so, of course. Liem might surmise as much from the possessive grasp of his hands or the mischief sparking in Cardan's eyes. He had not prepared all this -- leaving their comfortable bed way too early, timing their arrival just right so the cave would open, not to mention all the sneaking around he'd had to do prior -- to abandon it in favour of a party where they would barely have time to speak to one another.

(And since when had he become so desperate to spend time alone with Liem, even here, among friends whom he has not seen in months? It's strange -- but now is a poor time to meditate on the oddity of his feelings.) ]

[sterngaze]

[Somehow, Liem hadn’t considered the possibility that his birth anniversary this winter would involve a celebration of any kind with his husband. When they arrived in Elfhame with the date hovering on the horizon, he had assumed that his silence on the topic meant that the night would simply slide by in the same fashion as all the others, and that the only fête he would attend on that day would be one of Faerie’s innumerable parties thrown for nothing in particular.

He had not considered that Cardan might have already heard about the date from someone else, and he had not imagined that his husband would lure him to a private hideaway to celebrate the night with him alone.

He had never celebrated his birthday in such a way, even when he still had close companions. His birth date had always been an excuse to host yet another party at Iago’s home, an opportunity for socializing and politics — and then, when there was no one he still wished to invite to such things, it simply became an occasion when he could set his work aside for a little while.

But now that he has it, he is not inclined to scorn the chance to have Cardan’s company all to himself.]

And let all your scheming go to waste?

[He sways readily into his husband’s grasp, his free hand skating up his chest to curl over the side of his neck, thumb just brushing the edge of his jaw. No, his tone says. Surely not.]

But now I’m curious to know your plans for me.

[greenbriar]

Mm.

[ He hadn't expected Liem to refuse, but he's nonetheless pleased to be right. It's pleasing to stand for a moment under the starry sky, without noisy courtiers or political maneuvers interrupting their peace. He likes the way Liem feels in his hands, likes the way he looks in his casual attire, his hair tousled from the ride and crowned with flowers. It makes something strange flutter in the pit of his stomach -- a tender, fleeting thing for which he has no name. ]

I have cakes and wine [ the driest and headiest wine he could source ] and mischief aplenty to inflict upon you.

...But I thought I ought to give you the chance of choosing your own, for once. [ Certainly Liem has not had much liberty with his itinerary during their visit in Faerie, and for all that he sets his own schedule back home, the demands on his time hardly allow for whimsy. ]

We need not even stay. There is plenty of night, and many places we could go. Much as I would rue not commandeering your lap for my pillow once more.

[ B... because that's what one does with the birthday boy, right -- use him to satisfy one's urge for romantic stargazing.

Still, the flash of Cardan's smile is unapologetically bright. ]

So, husband, tell me: is there aught you would like above all?

[sterngaze]

[A small and unfamiliar delight takes root in Liem as Cardan reveals a little more of what his scheming has truly wrought. More and more, it becomes clear that his husband has gone to great lengths to prepare for this one night — not just getting Liem here on time and unawares, not just securing a crown for him, but bringing food and drink in advance, and all without alerting Liem's suspicion. They spend so much of every night together, he isn't even sure when his husband would have found the time, unless Cardan has been abed rather less than he'd assumed.

He has no particular need for cakes, or wine, or crowns, or visits to secret hideaways, but the fact that Cardan has prepared these things for him brings a smile to his face, warm as candleglow.]

Let us sit, [he decides.] You may commandeer my lap if you like.

[The clover makes for a tempting enough seat, and it has been a long time indeed — too long, by his reckoning — since he and Cardan looked at the stars. Though the prospect of being shown other parts of the island does intrigue him, and though he would surely enjoy a long ride with just his spouse for company, he thinks their night would be better spent here, at least for the time being.

Tipping his face up toward Cardan's, he brushes a kiss against his jaw before stepping back to survey the surrounds for the ideal spot.]

And you can enlighten me, while you do, of other places you would like to take me.

[greenbriar]

[ The smile Liem directs his way pierces through him, and he doesn't know why that happens, either. Still, this is no time for strange ailments to manifest themselves. He ignores the fretful beating of his heart and the flush that threatens to encroach on his face -- turning away instead to unstrap his saddlebag from his horse.

Cardan already knows the ideal spot to sit in, because he has spent many a day here, with only a book and the sprites for company. Said spot is on the other side of the unnaturally broad wisteria trunk, just at the edge of its flowery boughs, where the gentle wind blows against the nape of one's neck, and the stars are easy to see. Coincidentally, someone has set up a tasteful rug there, complete with (yet unlit) lanterns and a large, rectangular picnic basket.

Having spent several months observing Liem's event planning, Cardan is uninclined to be anything but thorough.

He will lead Liem there now, his hand settling at the small of his husband's back -- just like if they were walking into a revel. Sprites are perched atop the basket when they arrive, clearly curious about its contents; one has braced tiny feet against the straw, its glowing wings fluttering wildly as it tries to pry up the lid. The whole lot scatters when Cardan shoos at them, their laughter reminiscent of a merry forest stream.

It'll be a moment before he can colonize his husband's lap. First, he commands him to sit, and then he lights the ornamental little lanterns -- meant less for illumination than they are for ambiance -- and then he wrestles open the basket to reveal that cakes and wine was, perhaps, a slight understatement. There are cakes, and there is wine, but also cheese and fruit and cunning little pies with savoury fillings, and so on. ]

I hear there are usually candles, [ he admits, handing Liem his goblet of wine, poured generously, ] but I confess it seemed challenging to make that work out of doors.

[ And twenty-five candles is a lot to cram onto a cake; he's not entirely sure it would have been within his capabilities to sneak that sort of thing into this place. ]

[sterngaze]

[As Liem looks about, stripping the riding gloves from his hands with automatic, economical motions, he take a moment to take in the hideaway that his husband has brought him to. It is lovely, as almost everything he's seen in Elfhame has been, and it reminds him a little of his own spreading tree on its lonely hill. When he'd led his husband to that hill, Cardan had jested that perhaps he shouldn't have, that he might have wished to use that getaway to hide from him as well. A hint of satisfaction curls, catlike, low in his chest at being shown one of Cardan's little refuges in return.

When he sees the rug, with its little lanterns and its well-filled picnic basket, he is doubly certain that he has chosen correctly in deciding to stay here. The spot is a lovely one, and what's more, the warm, unexpected pleasure in his breast only grows more insistent at the sight of it. When Cardan had spoken of romance beneath the stars, he had taken it for a quip. Perhaps foolishly, he hadn't expected to be courted by his own husband.

He wonders again how on earth Cardan brought all these things here without him noticing.]

Ah— It was the staff you spoke to.

[Certainly Iago never bothered with that particular birthday tradition. Liem cannot recall ever being presented with a candle-covered cake by either of his parents for his own anniversaries, either.

Having folded himself down onto the rug, he accepts the goblet gracefully, lifting it idly to smell the drink his spouse had selected. Cardan has been attentive here, as well, and Liem sips cautiously, finding the wine quite palatable, if admittedly heady.]

That's just fine. I suppose I will just have to wish upon the stars instead.

[greenbriar]

[ Liem’s guess is correct; it had been the servants who had first approached Cardan about Liem’s birthday… and then, to his bemused entreaties, explained the general customs surrounding the occasion. It forever strikes him as both odd and oddly touching that the mortals in Liem’s employ are so plainly protective of him; for all of his considerable charm and wit, Cardan has never been able to cultivate that sort of devotion from anyone — except maybe Balekin’s door.

The fact that Iago hadn’t seen fit to mention his own son’s birthday to Cardan is less pleasing.

But that’s neither here nor there; they are on a celebratory outing and there is celebration to be done. He does not bother with a goblet, himself. Instead Cardan will uncork an entire bottle before he does, finally, sprawl onto the rug, plopping his head atop Liem’s thighs. This in itself is not uncommon — he often monopolizes his husband’s lap in this way when Liem is reading through contracts and Cardan needs a nap. But there are no contracts nor seneschals here now, only the stars and the breeze and the quiet, pleasant tenor of Liem’s voice.

Cardan takes a swig of the wine, rather satisfied with himself, for the moment. His free hand meanders over Liem’s flank, just to touch him - just to feel the pleasing solidity of him under layers of fine fabric. ]

What are you wishing for, husband?

[ He’s not had much luck with the stars, himself, but he supposes there is no reason that need extend to Liem — certainly it would be preferable if at least one of them held favour with fate. ]

[sterngaze]

[Amusement curves Liem's mouth a little as he watches his husband — having given Liem his goblet — grab an entire bottle for himself. He has no doubt that Cardan will be able to conquer it, regardless how heady the drink is; a talent he hadn't quite grasped the scope of before they arrived in Elfhame, and immersed themselves in its revels and its liquor. Now, as Cardan flops back against Liem's lap with his wine, the look of him poses a roguish counterpoint to the painstaking romance of the enchanting surround.

Charmed, Liem shifts his drink to his other hand so his fingers can more easily wander over his husband's hair, skimming his windblown curls, his leafy crown and the point of one ear.]

Hm…

[Looking up at the unfamiliar stars, he considers their glittering tapestry, wondering what wish one is supposed to make on the night of one's birth. Something meant to come true in the next year, he'd assume, but all he can think of is that he hopes they can pull off their scheme, and be rid of the spectre of assassins hanging over them. It's not a particularly cheerful wish for a birthday celebration.]

That is between me and the stars, [he says, taking another small sip of his drink. He's wary of the effect even this one glass might have on him.] One isn't meant to speak their wish to anyone else, you know, or it won't come true.

[greenbriar]

[ Liem's hand in his hair draws a content little sigh from him; for a moment, he focuses only on his enjoyment of the gentle caress. He thinks about turning his face so he can kiss those pale fingertips, claiming them one by one.

Instead, Cardan's eyebrows twitch upward in surprise. He is not, actually -- surprised, that is. The servants had mentioned something about this, too. But he thought Liem might tell him anyway if he asked, and he's curious. ]

What jealous stars, [ he opines, in a tone that suggests keen interest, ] to keep your secrets from me.

[ He says it as if he has any right to them in the first place. For all the intimacy they've engaged in -- an alarming amount in the last two weeks alone -- sometimes he feels like he's looking at the tip of a massive iceberg, with all of Liem's true thoughts and real motivations hidden carefully beneath black waves.

But then it's probable that Liem feels the same way about him.

He lifts his hand to draw feather-light fingertips along the line of his husband's jaw, thoughtful. ]

You should tell me something the stars don't know, then. To even the scale.

[ He has a sneaking suspicion that demanding things of the birthday celebrant is probably uncouth behaviour, but so be it. His grin is as shameless as the intent stare he directs Liem's way.

Cardan's thumb sweeps over Liem's mouth, tracing the soft curve of his lip. Indulgent. ]

[sterngaze]

[Cardan's surprise (feigned, surely) and stubborn desire for his secrets (obviously genuine) pull Liem's gaze from the stars back to his husband's face, so he can aim his amusement down at him instead. It is not a hardship; beautiful though Faerie's night sky is, it is the sight of Cardan grinning so impudently from his comfortable position on Liem's lap that stirs his sleeping heart inside his chest; makes it feel tight and strange.

He would lean down and kiss him, except they're both holding drinks, and besides, they only just got settled as they are. But the caress of warm fingertips over his jaw, over his mouth, recall him back to that evening on the hilltop nonetheless.]

I would think there are many things I could tell you that your stars don't know.

[His regard of his husband is soft, and a little secretive. After all, it is supposedly his night to do as he wishes, and the shameless way in which Cardan covets his secrets only makes him want to dangle them just out of his reach.]

My kind is so foreign to these lands; they probably don't even know what I am.

[greenbriar]

[ He had not, in truth, expected Liem to start spilling his secrets forth readily just because he'd asked. Like Cardan, Liem has been remarkably reticent about revealing too much about himself -- and still, Cardan makes the attempt. Is it not natural to crave that which is difficult to obtain?

Besides, people often reveal more than they intend, even while trying to hide.

Cardan keeps his hand there for a moment, curled over Liem's cheek. His husband is right: for all that he looks so much like the fey who have wined and dined him this month, he is a creature from a different world. The magic that animates him is different from Cardan's in a way he has yet failed to grasp fully. Somehow, despite his lack of reflection or shadow, he seems more real, more solid than any of the folk. ]

Then I am jealous of them, [ he posits about the stars, ] for getting to discover you anew.

[ This line, too, is delivered with nary a hint of self-consciousness. Moreover, his expectant smile suggests he is still waiting for Liem's fact about himself. ]

[sterngaze]

[Cardan cannot keep assailing him with that gentle touch and that intent regard, with that shameless want for everything Liem has and everything he is, and still expect him to give thought to anything else. Liem can barely recall the wish he'd given to Faerie's stars only moments ago; he certainly cannot remember anything else, about himself or otherwise, with which to indulge his determinedly curious husband. If there is anything about him that should so compel the stars to discover him, he cannot fathom what it might be.

In order to occupy his buzzing, empty thoughts, Liem lifts one hand so he can cup Cardan's fingers against his face, turning just a little and nuzzling a kiss into the warmth of his palm. His thumb traces soft, idle trails over Cardan's knuckles and his collection of rings while he recalls himself to the present.]

There is plenty about me that you also do not know.

[His breath tickles Cardan's fingers as he murmurs it. Surely it is far too soon for his husband to be coveting the thrill of discovery as though it has passed beyond his grasp.]

Can you tell me my favourite thing about summer, or who first taught me to climb trees, or how old I was when I learned why other families had servants to open their doors?

[greenbriar]

[ He takes a moment to shiver softly into the soft caress of Liem's mouth; interest curls in his belly, its tendrils sending warm anticipation down his spine. Funny, how easily even such a simple touch draws his attention now. He would have thought that familiarity would have lent him immunity to his husband's charms -- not the opposite.

But Liem has issued him a challenge, and Cardan is not so easily distracted. ]

Hm. [ It's true that he doesn't know any of these things, but if Liem is going to tease him with the answer, he might as well attempt to guess. He takes a thoughtful swig of his bottle, biding for time. He hasn't had much experience with Liem in the summer, given that they were still very much at odds in early autumn. But the weather hasn't much influence over the house -- and if anything, winter's longer nights are of benefit to Liem's business dealings.

No, it would have to be something about the woods, he thinks -- which Liem seems fond of, even if they don't spend as much time in them as either of them would probably like. And something seasonal--

He grins with sudden inspiration, propping himself up on his elbow. ]

I would bet that the summer is when your wolves are at their most playful. [ After all, food is abundant, and there would be cubs to play-fight with. He recalls their conversation in the pub, about catching the wolves in the right mood for wrestling. And so. ]

As for the trees: the only person I know who could have taught you such a thing is Lady Paril.

[ He has no answer for the third -- any of his guesses would be just stabs in the dark, and so he doesn't bother. ]