He had failed. Viren sat in his cell, having only the sound of dripping water and distant footsteps as company. Well, that, and the worm in his ear. He shuddered. He hated that worm from the beginning, but with the recent betrayal from that starry-skinned elf, he loathed it with all of his being. Part of it stemmed from his own disgust at his failure, at his willingness to trust so easily and so quickly. Stupid. He was so stupid. His stupidity had landed him in this cell, hands chained to the wall, shirt confiscated as an added punishment. The same punishment given to the assassin. To Opeli, he was no better than the scum who had killed the king and deserved no better treatment. He shivered. It didn't help that the cell was cold.

"Do not be distraught, human. A minor setback will not break us."

Viren's head snapped up to gaze into the eyes of the elf in question. Aaravos? No. Upon further inspection, the elf was semitransparent. An illusion. Viren huffed, turning his head away and refusing to acknowledge Aaravos further. The illusion stepped closer.

"Come now. Is that any way to treat your ally?" The worm whispered in Viren's ear, that low, rumbling voice that sent shivers down Viren's spine. The illusion sat cross-legged in front of him and leaned forward, studying Viren's face. God. It had been so long since Aaravos had seen another face, let alone a humanoid one. He studied the grayed skin, worn with age and stress and the weight of dark magic. What would such a texture feel like beneath his smooth finger, he wondered.

"I would hardly call you an ally, traitor!" The human snapped at him, causing the illusion to back up in surprise. He lowered his head. "Why are you here? Come to make more false promises? To laugh at your fallen puppet?" He struggled against his shackles to no avail. "You don't even know my name, do you?"

"You never told me." Aaravos smirked at him. It wasn't his fault the human had never bothered to mention it. It wasn't important, so he hadn't bothered to inquire about it.

"Not that it matters much now." The human huffed bitterly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sound of the water drip somewhere in the smelly cell. When it was clear the elf had no plans to dispel the illusion, Viren spoke again. "Lord Vir—Viren. My name is Viren."

"Viren." Something about his name on Aaravos's lips made his heart flutter. He pushed the feeling away. "Such a lovely name." Aaravos placed a hand on the human's. the spell he was using allowed for his illusion to feel everything as if he were there in the cell with the hu…Viren. Viren tried to pull his hand away, but he was firmly restrained; seeing his reaction, however, Aaravos pulled away. "Sorry."

"It's…it's fine." Viren tried to hide the heat rising in his face. Dear god, he was touch-starved. When was the last time a creature had made friendly contact with him? Even his own kids didn't like getting hugs as much these days, what with them being teenagers and needing more space, which Viren gave without complaint, at least to their faces. Being a dad could be lonely sometimes. Being a dad in prison even more so. It wasn't normal for a simple gesture to cause such a response, yet here he was, and here he felt. Good lord he was lonely.

Aaravos wished Viren hadn't tried to pull away. Thousands of years alone does something to an elf. Makes them both incredibly self-reliant and needy for any kind of attention. A brush of the fingers, a slide of a shoulder against another, an accidental bumping into another. Anything. Anything to let him touch someone else, even briefly. He had reached his hand out without even thinking about it, had forgotten how humans valued their personal space. he shook his head. He and Viren needed to focus on what to do next.

"I will need time to gather the ingredients for a spell that should allow you to escape." He said in a low tone. He knew no one else but Viren could hear him, but the illusion being able to make him feel as if he were there was giving him a sense of caution regardless.

"And then what? I'll be hunted down and shot on sight? Excellent plan. Magnificent! I'll get to feel like a wild animal before I die even more than I do now!" Viren hissed at him, keeping his voice quiet but his tone loud. "You've given me no reason to trust you so far. Why should I start now?!"

"Because I am the only chance at salvation you have!" Aaravos didn't appreciate the human's sass, nor did he appreciate the kick that came next. "Oof!" Viren kicked his illusion square in the stomach with a surprising amount of force, causing the illusion to stutter for just a moment. In retaliation, Aaravos slapped Viren across the face before he could stop himself. Shit.

There was a silence for a few seconds that felt as if it dragged on for hours. Viren didn't look at him, didn't face him or say a word. He bit his lower lip without thinking. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks once again and heart his heart pounding in his ears. The slaphad sent a spark of electricity through his entire body, lighting fire crackers beneath his skin. He hated this. He hated how something so simple could make him nearly lose his composure. Hated how an elf could reawaken the craving for contact that he hadn't had time to think about. Hated how he wanted more. Needed more.

"I'm…sorry." Aaravos whispered. He hated apologizing, especially to humans; however, if he were to have any hope of escaping his prison, he needed to stay on good terms with Viren. He sucked it up. He would have to behave himself if he wanted the mage's help. "I didn't harm you, did I?"

"Please…"

Aaravos was taken aback by the pleading noise that was almost too quiet for him to hear. Had he heard correctly? Surely no—

"Please, Aaravos."

So, he had heard correctly. He leaned forward, inspecting Viren's face again, though Viren was trying to hide it. He noticed a quivering lip, a flush of color in his grayed cheeks, eyes closed shut as if trying to conceal what they were saying. His words were choked, as if he was having a hard time getting them out. Aaravos decided to prompt him. "Please, what?" There was hesitation, an intake of breath. He studied the face as it took on a thoughtful expression, as if it were trying to weigh the cost to benefit ratio of whatever it was Viren was about to say.

"Touch me." He mouthed the words without saying them. well, that was certainly a welcome surprise. Aaravos felt his own pace quicken. So, Viren was just as hungry for contact as he was. Still, he had to be absolutely sure this is what the mage wanted.

"Pardon? Speak up, Viren. Speak clearly." There was a hint of neediness in his own voice that he couldn't stifle. Humans rarely gave their space to another unless they had to or genuinely wanted to. He had to make sure he wanted to. Prayed that he wanted to.

"Touch me…please. Please." Viren looked up at him and Aaravos felt a pang of pity. The poor creature was holding back tears! Aaravos recalled that humans had a significantly shorter lifespan than elves. Aaravos had gone thousands of years without being touched, but humans didn't have that long, usually. A few months or even a few weeks without contact would affect them strongly, more strongly than an elf. Viren was just as disparate as he was. "We don't have to…I'm not asking you to…" He lowered his head sheepishly. Oh. Oooh.

"It doesn't have to go that far." Aaravos assured him, reaching out his hand and slowly, ever so slowly, brushing the tips of his fingers against Viren's cheek. Viren's breath caught in his throat and he looked up at Aaravos like a man given water in a desert. Aaravos couldn't help but be endeared to that look. He looked like a puppy. Small, helpless, vulnerable,

and cute.

Slowly, the elf rubbed his palm against the mage's cheek, savoring the sensation of skin on skin. Viren whimpered beneath his touch, pressing himself into Aaravos's hand and sighing. His hands were shackled, so this was all he could do to reciprocate. It was enough. It was more than enough. Aaravos trailed his other hand across Viren's collarbone, then sent his other hand across the mage's shoulder. Viren's breathing quickened, his skin becoming warmer. It felt good, the warmth of another living being, and Aaravos drank it in, savoring the feeling of silky smooth, warm skin. For his part, Viren tried to touch him the best he could, rubbing his head against Aaravos's hands whenever they came within reach. Aaravos understood, but he still appreciated Viren's attempts. He rewarded his efforts by trailing both hands down to his chest.

"Ohh…" Viren let out a soft, little moan, then snapped his lips shut in embarrassment. Aaravos chuckled, smiling at him in amusement and gratefulness. He thanked the gods above that he had found someone as needy as himself, someone who would gladly let him do this. Aaravos leaned down, taking a risk despite his need for things to go right, and planted a soft kiss on Viren's belly. Viren made a noise approximating a cat being petted suddenly and without warning.

"Is this okay?" Aaravos came back up to whisper in Viren's ear. He heard him gulp, watched as his adam's apple bobbed in his throat.

"Yes." Viren's voice shook as he whispered in affirmation. Yes. Yes. God yes it was okay. It was more than okay. It was everything good in the world and he craved more, wanted to give back what he was getting. "I'm sorry I can't do more for you."

"Maybe you can. If you want to, that is." Aaravos's voice rumbled in his ear. "Do you trust me?"

"No." Viren replied curtly. "But…right now, I trust you as much as I need to. For this."

His words stung, but they were earned. Aaravos had failed him before. He wouldn't this time. Slowly, cautiously, giving Viren enough time to protest or pull away or show any sign of dislike, he pressed his lips lightly against the mage's, then quickly pulled away to study his expression. It was a surprised one, but it held no trace of disgust or revulsion. Viren looked at him with wide, shocked eyes, then leaned his head forward, eyes half-closed. Aaravos met his lips once more, pressing softly against them. they were as smooth and soft as the rest of his skin, and the two of them felt the spark in equal measure. Aaravos felt Viren's mouth open cautiously, shyly, letting Aaravos in. Aaravos pressed his tongue against Viren's mouth, opening it further before slipping his tongue in completely. The kiss became messy and passionate. Hungry. He pulled away so that they could both catch their breaths, then kissed him again, all the while rubbing his thumbs over the mage's cheeks as he cupped his face in his starry hands.

He pressed his body against him until he was sitting in his lap, straddling him and caressing him, giving and receiving what they both needed so badly. Viren pulled away slowly, moving his mouth to Aaravos's neck, kissing and sucking greedily. Aaravos let out a low moan and brought Viren's head closer, pressing it into his neck, stroking his hair. He wrapped his hands around Viren's waste, stroking his back and pressing closer. Viren nibbled at his elven ear and Aaravos licked at his in turn, whispering sweet nonsense, ideas of how to get him free, of how to bring him into his world if there was no other way. Whatever happened next, Aaravos would make sure Viren was safe.

He would make sure he got to touch him again.