Yes, [ Cardan breathes. Yes, of course it would please him -- him, who has laboured for nothing quite so hard as he has for Liem's abandon. It was his own stubborn hunger that first drove him to this: the desire to see more of those tantalizing glimpses of desire, of the vulnerability that his husband showed only so rarely. Now, months later, he considers it nothing less than a sacred duty.
Someone ought to unshackle Liem from his self-control, every now and then, and no one else seems meet for the task.
It makes him a little feral, every time he gets close. When Liem fucks into his grip, Cardan's determined rhythm falters, for the briefest moment. He wants to fuck him; he wants to sweep away all of Liem's relentless restraint, wants to claim him with his hands and mouth and cock. The fact he is, presently, permitted only one of those is unconscionable. His sigh is ragged with impatience. ]
[Cardan’s immediate, impatient reply coaxes a brief smile onto Liem’s face, charmed as he is for a moment despite the warm touch occupying the entirety of his attention. Yes, of course Cardan wants this; what of Liem’s doesn’t his husband desire, after all? It is one of the constants that Liem trusts in, that Cardan always wishes to possess that which is his.
Fortunately, Liem loves surrendering parts of himself into his husband’s avaricious care. He lets his eyes fall closed again as the thought pulses through him, pulling a wanting sigh from his throat.]
Keep my restraint a while, then.
[If Cardan wishes to be in charge of such things for tonight, he certainly may. It will free Liem to squirm again into the welcome attention of Cardan’s hands, helpless little breaths catching at his lungs. Pleasure shivers through him, insistent.]
[ Paradoxically, even though he'd wanted to have Liem in his sight badly enough to deprive both of them of contact... when Liem gives him the thing he wants, when he sighs and then squirms into Cardan's touch -- is when Cardan's own restraint fails altogether. His fingers slide out of Liem; he needs his hand to support himself. Because he must move, again, to cover his husband's lithe body with his own, his feverish mouth sliding up to his Liem's ear. ]
Always, husband. Always.
[ This is his one and only duty: to take care of the man he has wed, to keep him happy, to occupy his thoughts with something other than obligation and self-reproach. He will pursue it with a zealous fervour he has never dedicated to anything before. But then, Nicasia didn't need him, and he'd never loved anyone else.
The thought wakes some unnameable ache within his chest.
He smothers it with his own hunger, shifting to press closer still, his mouth smearing haphazard kisses over Liem's shoulders. ]
Come up, [ he will instruct, because he needs all of it-- needs to torment Liem with his hands and with his mouth, needs to feel every exquisite shiver and gasp against his own body. He cannot -- cannot possibly -- achieve both of those things like this. The warm hand on Liem's cock shifts, briefly, to splay on his abdomen, urging him upright just as well. ]
[Cardan’s voice in his ear stirs a hot little flutter just below his ribs, eager and anxious both. Cardan often awakens this feeling in him: a yearning so desperate it frightens him with its heedlessness. Liem shivers with it now, feeling ripples of that wanting heat spread from everywhere Cardan’s lips touch. His lover’s welcome presence against his back makes the attention to his cock seem all the more demanding, and he groans with frustration when suddenly the stroking touch moves away.
Eager to enable both Cardan’s hungers and his schemes, Liem moves readily at his direction, shifting forward slightly so he can brace himself still against the elegantly appointed earthen wall above the headboard. He is trembling enough already without adding the possibility of wobbling off-balance to the mix.]
[ Cardan barely backs off enough to give Liem space to right himself; as soon as his husband is upright, he presses against him once more, greedy as always. For a moment, he simply stays like that, letting his quick breaths break against the edge of Liem's ear as his possessive hands skim down his husband's trembling flanks. It is such a joy, always, to feel him -- solid and real and beautiful and Cardan's, ever Cardan's, in every way he never thought he'd have. He cannot fathom that the world doesn't burn up in jealousy over his good fortune.
The firm hold of his hands purports to be steadying as they slip down to Liem's slim hips... only to tug them backwards, toward him. It is a little wicked, maybe, to unbalance Liem when he's already been so obliging, but Cardan cannot help craving his husband's vulnerability. It sparks a lean, hungry heat in him; he suspects they are alike in this, too.
And when he spreads Liem's thighs with hungry hands, when he presses against him, and then inside, filling him up and claiming him again, it is as perfect as it ever has been. The pleasure of it pulses through him, impossibly keen; his teeth sink into Liem's shoulder, seeking to muffle the wanting groan that rises from his throat. ]
[Liem tries, with limited success, to temper the impatience he feels as Cardan presses close again, slick palms roaming Liem’s flanks while his lover’s breath tickles his ear. He wants those hands everywhere. He wants the cock pressed conspicuously against him to be inside him. It seems outrageous to him that his restless, ever-hungry husband could still consistently find the patience to tease him in this way, just to drive him a little bit more insane.
Well, Cardan already said he didn’t want Liem holding back. Probably he feels the same about Liem’s efforts to endure his own anticipation without complaint—but Liem can’t quite bring himself to abandon that inclination so easily, even for his husband.
He only makes a small, startled noise when Cardan tugs his hips back, forcing him to find his balance again, braced slightly lower against the wall. That surprise turns to a breathless little moan as he feels Cardan finally press into him, the sensation accompanied by a delicious stab of pain from his husband’s sudden bite. His cock throbs with it, and he continues to be keenly aware of the hands now traversing his hips and thighs, very much not touching the rest of him.]
Yes, [he gasps, clutching uselessly at the stone and root beneath his hands.] Cardan…
[ Every time he fucks Liem, he finds himself teetering on the edge: determined to try and make it last, to draw out his husband's torment and pleasure alike-- and yet, and yet, ever vulnerable to his own consuming lust. The soft little moan Liem gives nearly pushes him over, sparking a flare of heat inside him. His hands on Liem tighten, grow hard; his breathing is already heavier than he wants it to be.
But he doesn't tumble over into madness, not quite. When he moves inside Liem, when his hips rock into him, it's with a leisurely rhythm that belies the need burning through him. Still, his thrusts are heavy, deliberate; when his hand closes over Liem's, it's because he, too, needs to brace himself.
His voice will rumble in Liem's ear, quiet like a secret. ]
The way you fit me-- [ It's perfect. Liem is perfect, in a way that makes Cardan foolish with besotted greed. But that's fine; he's stopped caring such a long time ago. ] --like you were made for me alone, husband.
[ Like he was made to be Cardan's. What else could explain the way obsession has made its home in Cardan's bones, the way it's crawled into his belly and settled in his heart? Some strange fate has, surely, planned this for him -- has given him this man to care for and torment with his devotion. ]
[Even though this intimacy, this moment, in this position is in service to Cardan’s desires, Liem still manages to feel wholly menaced by his husband’s touch, his affection, his very presence. The hand clasped over his; the low voice rumbling in his ear; the sedate, unhurried rhythm of Cardan moving in him. All these things threaten to overwhelm him entirely. Perhaps it is for the best after all that his husband declines to touch more of him, because even when Cardan bites him and ruts into him from behind like an animal, all Liem can think of is how perfect it feels to be the object of his devoted attention.
It makes pretending at normalcy difficult at the best of times; Liem’s body wants only to arch and squirm into that welcome contact like an eager animal keen to be stroked. Fortunately, Cardan has bid him indulge himself in this regard, and Liem meets Cardan’s thrusts just so, restless little movements of his hips that would feel shamefully wanton had his head not already emptied of everything but his husband.]
Hah… Oh… [Cardan’s heartbeat is so thunderous in his ears, Liem imagines he might be able to feel it pressed against his back, if his husband were to press close and be still. It is so strangely charming; he can no longer imagine being without special, secret delights such as this one.] I love being yours.
[ He is well-versed now in glossing over the pang of longing that rings through his chest whenever Liem says the word love; still, it is keen, and he is glad that Liem cannot see the way he closes his eyes against the onslaught. It's only fleeting, anyway. He cannot concentrate on anything very long when pleasure claws its way up his spine, overwhelming and undeniable. As always, his appetite has long outgrown his patience: there is only so long he can keep up his leisurely rhythm, especially when Liem's body clasps him so tightly and moves against him with such eager restlessness.
And so: Liem will find his reprieve short-lived as Cardan's free hand makes its way down his chest. He cannot help but take a moment to indulge in the way Liem feels, in the way movement makes lithe muscle flex under Cardan's palm. But this is not his destination, of course, and he only waits another breath, two, before his slicked touch wraps around Liem's erection. ]
Good, [ he breathes, and fights the urge to bite Liem again. Instead, he stamps heated kisses along the line of his neck, up to his nape, where Cardan can bury his nose in Liem's soft hair and breathe him in. ] As I have no... mm... no desire to release you from my clutches.
[ Especially not tonight, or the night after. Liem may have intended this as a celebration of Cardan's birth, but he cannot help but look toward their year spent together, the strange ways it has shaped them both. How aghast the Cardan from a year ago would have been, to see himself so undone by affection.
Because he is coming undone. Already, his breaths are stuttering with it; he keeps his rhythm only through sheer stubborn determination, but the clasp of his fingers on Liem is tight, insistent when he strokes. It is just that his husband feels so good; it is just that he doesn't want to stop and yet cannot possibly endure much more. ]
[Liem expected the nature of Cardan’s response, and still, the words breathed hot against his neck send a warm shiver of delight all the way down his spine. It ever thrills him when Cardan claims him for himself, with his hands or his mouth, his body or his words. He cannot resist the opportunity to give himself into Cardan’s hungry care, no matter how cruelly maddening it might be. The kisses stamped against his skin and the hand wandering possessively down his body feel right, like coming home after far too long away. Each tight stroke and heavy thrust fills him with the mindless greed for more.
Except it feels like that every single time he fits himself into his husband’s arms, at the end of a night or in the midst of one. His need for Cardan’s attention can be appeased but never sated; even if they spent the rest of their time in the Alderking’s realm wrapped in each other, Liem would still begrudge the night they were forced to return home.
So it is hard not to squirm helplessly into Cardan’s insistent stroking. He tries as best he can to move with the rhythm of Cardan’s hips; despite his husband’s demand, Liem is more concerned with matching his pace than indulging his own desire. As always, he wants to be good for Cardan however he can—and he also really wants Cardan to come. Still, his breaths are ragged as Cardan strokes his pleasure higher, and still he feels the swell of sensation rising to wash him away.
It does not take long for his efforts to buckle beneath the weight of it; he bucks fitfully against Cardan, feeling desperation build in him before it spills out with a breathless moan as his pleasure claims him after all.]
[ As always, it comes on far too quickly: the dizzying, all-consuming pleasure of having Liem, of having him like this, eager and wanton, as relentless in meeting Cardan’s hunger as Cardan is in pursuing him. Each time his husband rocks into his touch, the hunger winds itself tighter in him. It is a savage, wild thing. He has ever been thus, but only Liem has ever made him feel so urgent about it, like it would be unbearable to be anything but feral about his desire.
As always, he cannot last: not when Liem’s hips buck against his, not when that moan leaves his lover’s throat. He gasps with it, helplessly, pulled towards his own climax by his husband’s pleasure. Ruthlessly, Cardan strokes him through it to the last. The journey of his mouth on Liem’s skin is haphazard, leaving breathless kisses— but when climax finally seizes him, as he bottoms out, overtaken by need and lust and possession, he cannot help but sink his teeth into Liem’s skin one last time.
In the after, when he pulls away, he will soothe the bite mark with more breathless kisses. His arm wraps around Liem, keeping him jealously close. ]
What were… your plans for me, husband?
[ Because Cardan’s plan, after some period of post-coital bliss, is to herd his husband into a bath so that he may make good on the promise of warming him up. ]
[Liem is never prepared for the ruthless urgency his husband manages to inflict upon him, without so much as a drop of blood to inflame Liem’s passions. It doesn’t matter that he’s stone cold sober; Cardan’s touch is intoxicating by itself, and it shoves him right up against the edge of climax and over, making him taut and helpless with need. Just when the overwhelming surge of it begins to recede, he is startled into another lewd groan by his lover’s teeth sinking unexpectedly into him again.
By the time the sensation storming through his body has calmed, Liem has forgotten all about any plans he might have had for the rest of their night. He is too occupied with Cardan’s breathless kisses and warm embrace, with cuddling closer to fit himself perfectly against him, and it takes another moment of drowsy contentment for him to rouse himself and recall that the world does actually extend beyond the reach of his husband’s arms.]
Mm… I thought we might take a rare night just for ourselves. [No outings, no errands, no plans. Just Cardan and Liem, and the privacy for them to spend the night doing whatever pleases them best. Whatever pleases Cardan best.] I arranged for breakfast to be delivered. It’s surely here by now.
[ It's difficult to bring himself to separate when Liem is still so pliant in his arms. Only after some time will Cardan unclasp their fingers so he can bring his touch to Liem's hips, pulling out with a soft shiver. ]
Ah... and I thought I'd had my breakfast already.
[ Never does he hunger for anything so much as for the man in his arms. He'd expected Liem to have built a cushion into their schedule to accommodate Cardan's wish for evening debauchery -- but the thought of having nowhere to go and nothing at all to do is unexpectedly delightful. Part of him wishes to simply lay Liem back down and have his way with him again, and again, until his husband is well and truly overwhelmed-- but he is peckish, now that the thought has been presented to him.
He will sit back, directing Liem to turn, to look at him -- which will, inevitably, lead to kissing him, because neither of them are particularly adept at keeping away from one another.
He's a little breathless, again, when he pulls away. ]
Will you insist on getting dressed, if we eat?
[ His arched eyebrow suggests he has opinions on this matter. ]
[Despite his prior thoughtfulness in arranging for an evening meal to be brought to their rooms, Liem is easily coaxed into delaying his husband further from his breakfast. After all, for the last while he has been deprived of the ability to kiss his spouse or wrap his own arms around him—and like Cardan, he hungers far more keenly for his husband than for anything as frivolous as food and drink. Seating himself back down on the bed, Liem insinuates himself into Cardan’s embrace once more, wrapping an arm possessively around him as he meets Cardan’s warm kiss.
He does not relinquish his cuddle when Cardan finally pulls away to breathe.]
I will not insist on anything.
[He makes this declaration almost primly, despite his affectionate posture and nude dishevelment. No amount of stickiness or dishabille will persuade him to lean on his husband for anything at all on this particular evening. Soberly, he adds,] If it is your wish, I shall not wear so much as a single stitch for the rest of the night.
[ Cardan cannot stifle his laugh at this painstakingly sober declaration, so characteristic of his fastiduous spouse. He must kiss him again immediately following it, helplessly delighted. For all that Cardan takes gifts as seriously as any of the Folk, he is used to downplaying the importance of his own, lest it seem like he sacrificed too much in obtaining them.
But, of course, his husband is too earnest for this kind of nonsense. ]
You expose yourself to such peril, husband. [ His grin feels irrepressible. When he dips down again, it is to kiss the bridge of Liem's nose. ] But I shall not deny myself the pleasure of undressing you again.
[ ...Much as it might inflame his impatience down the line. Cardan himself will not opt for much in the way of clothing: he only reaches for his usual silken robe to wrap around himself, and even this is somewhat haphazard. His tail twists into lazy, pleased loops as he slips out of bed, proffering a hand to Liem. ]
[Although Cardan does not take him up on his magnanimous offer, Liem gets what he wanted: his husband’s delighted laugh, which he never tires of the opportunity to hear. He smiles, well satisfied by Cardan’s pleasure and Cardan’s kisses, and digs his rumpled trousers out from beneath the covers so he can put them back on.
Despite his habitual insistence on being clothed even in private, even he sees no purpose in donning something fresh and unwrinkled for the brief period it takes before his husband decides to undress him again. He will simply pull his trousers back on, and retrieve the shirt he’d discarded so he can slide his arms into it once more. When Cardan offers his hand for Liem to take, Liem obligingly lifts it so he can brush a kiss over his husband’s fingers.]
As you wish.
[In the other room, they will indeed find a spread of various breakfast foods—pastries of innumerable kinds, fruits served with cream, bite-sized savouries and spreads of every description, with a juice pitcher and a stout pot of tea at the ready. As usual, Liem partakes only sparingly, but happily offers to pour his husband’s drinks, since there are no serving staff to be seen.
After their meal and their bath, Liem—now warm and freshly clothed—perches on a plush seat and regards Cardan with a bright, attentive gaze.]
What now, husband? The night is ours to do with as you wish.
[ Cardan has bothered with somewhat more substantial clothing after the bath -- the keyword being "somewhat", as he has limited himself to trousers, boots, and a billowy, diaphanous shirt. At some point between drying off and wrestling his hair into something like compliance, he'd had an idea. He lets it percolate now, a smile curling on his lips as he basks in Liem's focused attention.
How dearly he likes him. How he already wishes to get his hands back on him, to dishevel that fresh set of clothes and his newly coiffed hair. He won't, though, not yet. If his husband has taught him anything, it is to enjoy the tease of a desire put off. ]
I wonder, husband: have you ever snuck out of your house, when you were but a studious youth?
[ Surely even Liem must have had moments of teenage foolishness. Though, Cardan supposes an inability to go out in daylight might have made secret outings more difficult. Certainly few of his own secret adventures took place during what the fey considered sensible waking hours. ]
[Cardan is not wrong in his description of Liem as a youth; his nights as a boy had almost universally been spent adhering to whatever schedule his parents and teachers laid out for him. After his mother’s death, his father made doubly sure that his son was both occupied and supervised nearly every waking minute. It did not make for a fruitful environment for attempting wild adventures.
Of course even Liem chafed at such a stifling boyhood after long enough, particularly as he grew closer to becoming a young man.]
I went on a few unsanctioned expeditions into the woods, when I tired of being supervised.
[But his father always made sure to make him regret his disobedience, so he had only ever made his escape during times when he absolutely couldn’t stand to remain at home. Such bothersome details are surely not why his husband inquired, though.]
I do. I wish to show you off to the stars in Fairfold's sky.
[ For all that he wouldn't mind spending all his time in their rooms with Liem, he cannot help but think about seeing his husband under the silver moonlight, his hair ruffled by a warm summer wind. Unfortunately, they are likely to be accosted by courtiers the moment they step into the brugh's hallways, and thus: the sneaking around. Besides, the last time they did such a thing, they were running from an assassin; it seems only apt that they should get to redo their caper with much lower stakes.
He will reach out to take Liem's hand. This time, Cardan is the one who brings it up to his smiling mouth, to brush a warm kiss against Liem's knuckles. His gaze up at his lover is co-conspiratorial in a way that suggests he's already convinced of the merits of his own plan. ]
What think you, husband? Shall we adopt disguises? Or should our stealth and wits alone suffice?
[Liem is ever charmed by the little idiosyncrasies that remind him that his husband grew up an ocean away from him, in a land of stories and bargains and magic. Though Liem is the strange one here, in this faerie land, Cardan seems no more mundane even among his own kind; Liem still feels like he has wed some rare and delightful creature who must surely inspire envy in everyone who encounters them.
As he watches his husband stoop over his hand, Liem’s gaze is warm.]
I did not include a disguise among my travel belongings, so I suppose we must make do with our efforts alone.
[Liem rises, looking up at his spouse as he contemplates Cardan’s scheme. The palace seems a busy place for sneaking out of without being seen, but the stakes, presumably, are low. He supposes the effort is more important than the success of the caper.]
Besides, what if, in disguising ourselves, we were instead mistaken for nefarious rogues infiltrating King Severin’s court?
[ But, Liem has a point. Cardan has certainly not thought to pack any false moustaches in his luggage, and glamour is useless against his fellow fey. Instead, he evaluates his husband's clothing with a critical eye. The Alderking's court is closer and friendlier to Ironside than most courts of the fey, so Liem's tailored trousers and waistcoat would not be as exotic here as they were in Elfhame. Still... ]
I should have you change into your armour. [ That, at least, is appropriately rogue-like. ]
But... [ He reaches out again to slip his fingers just below the knot of Liem's tie, grasping the silk. ] ...you look too charming as you are.
[ He tugs, gently, pulling Liem to him -- though he's already stepping closer, himself. ]
So I shall ask another thing from you instead, husband.
[As always, Liem is easily beguiled by his husband’s hands on him. He feels an immediate flutter in his stomach at the casual grip of Cardan’s fingers hooking his tie, and when Cardan pulls him closer, Liem goes willingly, his hands lifting automatically to skim up his husband’s flanks. He tilts his face closer to Cardan’s, until he would only have to stretch up in order to kiss him.]
What boon can I grant you?
[Since he is not going to be changing his attire after all, he must of course indulge Cardan some other way. It would be a poor excuse for a birthday celebration if he did not make every effort to cater to his husband’s whims. Never mind that Cardan has surely long since learned that Liem gains a perverse pleasure from fielding his demands. He can indulge himself and Cardan both.]
[ Cardan's smile is a little shark-like. Inadvertently, Liem seems to have guessed at the thing he wants -- then again, it's the thing the both of them always want, so maybe it isn't so strange. Still, he'll take a moment to admire his husband: the elegant features of his face, the way the simple touch of his palms makes Cardan's heart seize with a strange longing.
How easy it is, to lose himself in simple affection.
...but the night waits for no one, and so: ]
I wish to have one kiss... for each doorway -- or threshold -- that we pass on our journey.
[ Never mind that said kisses may well add additional peril to their journey -- as always, he's happy to leave the logistics to Liem. ]
[Once, Cardan accused Liem of being averse to demanding costly things from him—and Liem still could not deny that this is true. But when his husband asks things like this of him, Liem thinks that Cardan’s own inclination towards indulging him has only grown stronger over the many months of their marriage.
But he will not voice such an accusation, lest he prick his dear husband’s pride over his penchant for villainy.]
A kiss for each we pass through? Or pass by?
[Liem’s warm expression turns just a little sly. The hands splayed against Cardan’s ribs slide up his chest until he is framing his husband’s jaw.]
Perhaps I shall extend you an advance now, so our journey will be less fraught. How many thresholds do you suppose we will encounter?
[ He raises an eyebrow; by now, he is not so foolish to assume he could easily outfox his husband. Still, he is endlessly surprised by Liem’s capacity for making his own life difficult in service of Cardan’s amusement and his own titillation.
Well, there is nothing for it but to keep his smile villainous, even as he lays his own hand over Liem’s. His other settles at the small of his husband’s back, his thumb stroking idly over the silk of Liem’s waistcoat. ]
Ah-ah. First rule: you may not bank kisses in advance.
[ He says nothing about after. Obviously, Liem would have thought of it — but Cardan doubts he’d be such a bad sport as to avoid kissing him until the end of their adventure. ]
…although you ought to kiss me anyway. [ Because Cardan cannot be close to Liem for long without wanting to kiss him — especially not when he’s faced with the sly affection in that bright gaze. Something about Liem’s playfulness always incites Cardan’s tenderness. He is ever helpless to resist it. ]
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Someone ought to unshackle Liem from his self-control, every now and then, and no one else seems meet for the task.
It makes him a little feral, every time he gets close. When Liem fucks into his grip, Cardan's determined rhythm falters, for the briefest moment. He wants to fuck him; he wants to sweep away all of Liem's relentless restraint, wants to claim him with his hands and mouth and cock. The fact he is, presently, permitted only one of those is unconscionable. His sigh is ragged with impatience. ]
I always want everything, Liem. Surely you know.
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Fortunately, Liem loves surrendering parts of himself into his husband’s avaricious care. He lets his eyes fall closed again as the thought pulses through him, pulling a wanting sigh from his throat.]
Keep my restraint a while, then.
[If Cardan wishes to be in charge of such things for tonight, he certainly may. It will free Liem to squirm again into the welcome attention of Cardan’s hands, helpless little breaths catching at his lungs. Pleasure shivers through him, insistent.]
I am in your care.
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Always, husband. Always.
[ This is his one and only duty: to take care of the man he has wed, to keep him happy, to occupy his thoughts with something other than obligation and self-reproach. He will pursue it with a zealous fervour he has never dedicated to anything before. But then, Nicasia didn't need him, and he'd never loved anyone else.
The thought wakes some unnameable ache within his chest.
He smothers it with his own hunger, shifting to press closer still, his mouth smearing haphazard kisses over Liem's shoulders. ]
Come up, [ he will instruct, because he needs all of it-- needs to torment Liem with his hands and with his mouth, needs to feel every exquisite shiver and gasp against his own body. He cannot -- cannot possibly -- achieve both of those things like this. The warm hand on Liem's cock shifts, briefly, to splay on his abdomen, urging him upright just as well. ]
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Eager to enable both Cardan’s hungers and his schemes, Liem moves readily at his direction, shifting forward slightly so he can brace himself still against the elegantly appointed earthen wall above the headboard. He is trembling enough already without adding the possibility of wobbling off-balance to the mix.]
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The firm hold of his hands purports to be steadying as they slip down to Liem's slim hips... only to tug them backwards, toward him. It is a little wicked, maybe, to unbalance Liem when he's already been so obliging, but Cardan cannot help craving his husband's vulnerability. It sparks a lean, hungry heat in him; he suspects they are alike in this, too.
And when he spreads Liem's thighs with hungry hands, when he presses against him, and then inside, filling him up and claiming him again, it is as perfect as it ever has been. The pleasure of it pulses through him, impossibly keen; his teeth sink into Liem's shoulder, seeking to muffle the wanting groan that rises from his throat. ]
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Well, Cardan already said he didn’t want Liem holding back. Probably he feels the same about Liem’s efforts to endure his own anticipation without complaint—but Liem can’t quite bring himself to abandon that inclination so easily, even for his husband.
He only makes a small, startled noise when Cardan tugs his hips back, forcing him to find his balance again, braced slightly lower against the wall. That surprise turns to a breathless little moan as he feels Cardan finally press into him, the sensation accompanied by a delicious stab of pain from his husband’s sudden bite. His cock throbs with it, and he continues to be keenly aware of the hands now traversing his hips and thighs, very much not touching the rest of him.]
Yes, [he gasps, clutching uselessly at the stone and root beneath his hands.] Cardan…
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But he doesn't tumble over into madness, not quite. When he moves inside Liem, when his hips rock into him, it's with a leisurely rhythm that belies the need burning through him. Still, his thrusts are heavy, deliberate; when his hand closes over Liem's, it's because he, too, needs to brace himself.
His voice will rumble in Liem's ear, quiet like a secret. ]
The way you fit me-- [ It's perfect. Liem is perfect, in a way that makes Cardan foolish with besotted greed. But that's fine; he's stopped caring such a long time ago. ] --like you were made for me alone, husband.
[ Like he was made to be Cardan's. What else could explain the way obsession has made its home in Cardan's bones, the way it's crawled into his belly and settled in his heart? Some strange fate has, surely, planned this for him -- has given him this man to care for and torment with his devotion. ]
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It makes pretending at normalcy difficult at the best of times; Liem’s body wants only to arch and squirm into that welcome contact like an eager animal keen to be stroked. Fortunately, Cardan has bid him indulge himself in this regard, and Liem meets Cardan’s thrusts just so, restless little movements of his hips that would feel shamefully wanton had his head not already emptied of everything but his husband.]
Hah… Oh… [Cardan’s heartbeat is so thunderous in his ears, Liem imagines he might be able to feel it pressed against his back, if his husband were to press close and be still. It is so strangely charming; he can no longer imagine being without special, secret delights such as this one.] I love being yours.
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And so: Liem will find his reprieve short-lived as Cardan's free hand makes its way down his chest. He cannot help but take a moment to indulge in the way Liem feels, in the way movement makes lithe muscle flex under Cardan's palm. But this is not his destination, of course, and he only waits another breath, two, before his slicked touch wraps around Liem's erection. ]
Good, [ he breathes, and fights the urge to bite Liem again. Instead, he stamps heated kisses along the line of his neck, up to his nape, where Cardan can bury his nose in Liem's soft hair and breathe him in. ] As I have no... mm... no desire to release you from my clutches.
[ Especially not tonight, or the night after. Liem may have intended this as a celebration of Cardan's birth, but he cannot help but look toward their year spent together, the strange ways it has shaped them both. How aghast the Cardan from a year ago would have been, to see himself so undone by affection.
Because he is coming undone. Already, his breaths are stuttering with it; he keeps his rhythm only through sheer stubborn determination, but the clasp of his fingers on Liem is tight, insistent when he strokes. It is just that his husband feels so good; it is just that he doesn't want to stop and yet cannot possibly endure much more. ]
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Except it feels like that every single time he fits himself into his husband’s arms, at the end of a night or in the midst of one. His need for Cardan’s attention can be appeased but never sated; even if they spent the rest of their time in the Alderking’s realm wrapped in each other, Liem would still begrudge the night they were forced to return home.
So it is hard not to squirm helplessly into Cardan’s insistent stroking. He tries as best he can to move with the rhythm of Cardan’s hips; despite his husband’s demand, Liem is more concerned with matching his pace than indulging his own desire. As always, he wants to be good for Cardan however he can—and he also really wants Cardan to come. Still, his breaths are ragged as Cardan strokes his pleasure higher, and still he feels the swell of sensation rising to wash him away.
It does not take long for his efforts to buckle beneath the weight of it; he bucks fitfully against Cardan, feeling desperation build in him before it spills out with a breathless moan as his pleasure claims him after all.]
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As always, he cannot last: not when Liem’s hips buck against his, not when that moan leaves his lover’s throat. He gasps with it, helplessly, pulled towards his own climax by his husband’s pleasure. Ruthlessly, Cardan strokes him through it to the last. The journey of his mouth on Liem’s skin is haphazard, leaving breathless kisses— but when climax finally seizes him, as he bottoms out, overtaken by need and lust and possession, he cannot help but sink his teeth into Liem’s skin one last time.
In the after, when he pulls away, he will soothe the bite mark with more breathless kisses. His arm wraps around Liem, keeping him jealously close. ]
What were… your plans for me, husband?
[ Because Cardan’s plan, after some period of post-coital bliss, is to herd his husband into a bath so that he may make good on the promise of warming him up. ]
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By the time the sensation storming through his body has calmed, Liem has forgotten all about any plans he might have had for the rest of their night. He is too occupied with Cardan’s breathless kisses and warm embrace, with cuddling closer to fit himself perfectly against him, and it takes another moment of drowsy contentment for him to rouse himself and recall that the world does actually extend beyond the reach of his husband’s arms.]
Mm… I thought we might take a rare night just for ourselves. [No outings, no errands, no plans. Just Cardan and Liem, and the privacy for them to spend the night doing whatever pleases them best. Whatever pleases Cardan best.] I arranged for breakfast to be delivered. It’s surely here by now.
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Ah... and I thought I'd had my breakfast already.
[ Never does he hunger for anything so much as for the man in his arms. He'd expected Liem to have built a cushion into their schedule to accommodate Cardan's wish for evening debauchery -- but the thought of having nowhere to go and nothing at all to do is unexpectedly delightful. Part of him wishes to simply lay Liem back down and have his way with him again, and again, until his husband is well and truly overwhelmed-- but he is peckish, now that the thought has been presented to him.
He will sit back, directing Liem to turn, to look at him -- which will, inevitably, lead to kissing him, because neither of them are particularly adept at keeping away from one another.
He's a little breathless, again, when he pulls away. ]
Will you insist on getting dressed, if we eat?
[ His arched eyebrow suggests he has opinions on this matter. ]
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He does not relinquish his cuddle when Cardan finally pulls away to breathe.]
I will not insist on anything.
[He makes this declaration almost primly, despite his affectionate posture and nude dishevelment. No amount of stickiness or dishabille will persuade him to lean on his husband for anything at all on this particular evening. Soberly, he adds,] If it is your wish, I shall not wear so much as a single stitch for the rest of the night.
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But, of course, his husband is too earnest for this kind of nonsense. ]
You expose yourself to such peril, husband. [ His grin feels irrepressible. When he dips down again, it is to kiss the bridge of Liem's nose. ] But I shall not deny myself the pleasure of undressing you again.
[ ...Much as it might inflame his impatience down the line. Cardan himself will not opt for much in the way of clothing: he only reaches for his usual silken robe to wrap around himself, and even this is somewhat haphazard. His tail twists into lazy, pleased loops as he slips out of bed, proffering a hand to Liem. ]
Let us feast, then, husband.
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Despite his habitual insistence on being clothed even in private, even he sees no purpose in donning something fresh and unwrinkled for the brief period it takes before his husband decides to undress him again. He will simply pull his trousers back on, and retrieve the shirt he’d discarded so he can slide his arms into it once more. When Cardan offers his hand for Liem to take, Liem obligingly lifts it so he can brush a kiss over his husband’s fingers.]
As you wish.
[In the other room, they will indeed find a spread of various breakfast foods—pastries of innumerable kinds, fruits served with cream, bite-sized savouries and spreads of every description, with a juice pitcher and a stout pot of tea at the ready. As usual, Liem partakes only sparingly, but happily offers to pour his husband’s drinks, since there are no serving staff to be seen.
After their meal and their bath, Liem—now warm and freshly clothed—perches on a plush seat and regards Cardan with a bright, attentive gaze.]
What now, husband? The night is ours to do with as you wish.
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How dearly he likes him. How he already wishes to get his hands back on him, to dishevel that fresh set of clothes and his newly coiffed hair. He won't, though, not yet. If his husband has taught him anything, it is to enjoy the tease of a desire put off. ]
I wonder, husband: have you ever snuck out of your house, when you were but a studious youth?
[ Surely even Liem must have had moments of teenage foolishness. Though, Cardan supposes an inability to go out in daylight might have made secret outings more difficult. Certainly few of his own secret adventures took place during what the fey considered sensible waking hours. ]
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[Cardan is not wrong in his description of Liem as a youth; his nights as a boy had almost universally been spent adhering to whatever schedule his parents and teachers laid out for him. After his mother’s death, his father made doubly sure that his son was both occupied and supervised nearly every waking minute. It did not make for a fruitful environment for attempting wild adventures.
Of course even Liem chafed at such a stifling boyhood after long enough, particularly as he grew closer to becoming a young man.]
I went on a few unsanctioned expeditions into the woods, when I tired of being supervised.
[But his father always made sure to make him regret his disobedience, so he had only ever made his escape during times when he absolutely couldn’t stand to remain at home. Such bothersome details are surely not why his husband inquired, though.]
Have you a yearning to steal away somewhere?
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I do. I wish to show you off to the stars in Fairfold's sky.
[ For all that he wouldn't mind spending all his time in their rooms with Liem, he cannot help but think about seeing his husband under the silver moonlight, his hair ruffled by a warm summer wind. Unfortunately, they are likely to be accosted by courtiers the moment they step into the brugh's hallways, and thus: the sneaking around. Besides, the last time they did such a thing, they were running from an assassin; it seems only apt that they should get to redo their caper with much lower stakes.
He will reach out to take Liem's hand. This time, Cardan is the one who brings it up to his smiling mouth, to brush a warm kiss against Liem's knuckles. His gaze up at his lover is co-conspiratorial in a way that suggests he's already convinced of the merits of his own plan. ]
What think you, husband? Shall we adopt disguises? Or should our stealth and wits alone suffice?
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As he watches his husband stoop over his hand, Liem’s gaze is warm.]
I did not include a disguise among my travel belongings, so I suppose we must make do with our efforts alone.
[Liem rises, looking up at his spouse as he contemplates Cardan’s scheme. The palace seems a busy place for sneaking out of without being seen, but the stakes, presumably, are low. He supposes the effort is more important than the success of the caper.]
Besides, what if, in disguising ourselves, we were instead mistaken for nefarious rogues infiltrating King Severin’s court?
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[ But, Liem has a point. Cardan has certainly not thought to pack any false moustaches in his luggage, and glamour is useless against his fellow fey. Instead, he evaluates his husband's clothing with a critical eye. The Alderking's court is closer and friendlier to Ironside than most courts of the fey, so Liem's tailored trousers and waistcoat would not be as exotic here as they were in Elfhame. Still... ]
I should have you change into your armour. [ That, at least, is appropriately rogue-like. ]
But... [ He reaches out again to slip his fingers just below the knot of Liem's tie, grasping the silk. ] ...you look too charming as you are.
[ He tugs, gently, pulling Liem to him -- though he's already stepping closer, himself. ]
So I shall ask another thing from you instead, husband.
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What boon can I grant you?
[Since he is not going to be changing his attire after all, he must of course indulge Cardan some other way. It would be a poor excuse for a birthday celebration if he did not make every effort to cater to his husband’s whims. Never mind that Cardan has surely long since learned that Liem gains a perverse pleasure from fielding his demands. He can indulge himself and Cardan both.]
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How easy it is, to lose himself in simple affection.
...but the night waits for no one, and so: ]
I wish to have one kiss... for each doorway -- or threshold -- that we pass on our journey.
[ Never mind that said kisses may well add additional peril to their journey -- as always, he's happy to leave the logistics to Liem. ]
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But he will not voice such an accusation, lest he prick his dear husband’s pride over his penchant for villainy.]
A kiss for each we pass through? Or pass by?
[Liem’s warm expression turns just a little sly. The hands splayed against Cardan’s ribs slide up his chest until he is framing his husband’s jaw.]
Perhaps I shall extend you an advance now, so our journey will be less fraught. How many thresholds do you suppose we will encounter?
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Well, there is nothing for it but to keep his smile villainous, even as he lays his own hand over Liem’s. His other settles at the small of his husband’s back, his thumb stroking idly over the silk of Liem’s waistcoat. ]
Ah-ah. First rule: you may not bank kisses in advance.
[ He says nothing about after. Obviously, Liem would have thought of it — but Cardan doubts he’d be such a bad sport as to avoid kissing him until the end of their adventure. ]
…although you ought to kiss me anyway. [ Because Cardan cannot be close to Liem for long without wanting to kiss him — especially not when he’s faced with the sly affection in that bright gaze. Something about Liem’s playfulness always incites Cardan’s tenderness. He is ever helpless to resist it. ]
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