Erazen ran his fingers along Kaenniar's cloth-covered shoulder, a velvety trail of golden effervescence following at their tips and he tenderly caressed the welt beneath his shirt that had been left there as a result of the day's challenges. Having been run around the perimeter with a yoke over his shoulders, weighted by two full buckets of water, Kaenniar had collapsed just after finishing the chore, much to Ithnis' subdued delight. To be sure, the two men both knew Ithnis was enchanting the buckets from afar, weighing them down, bruising his soldier's skin as Kaenniar hadn't the magical prowess to stop the act by his own magic. Another reminder of his lack of worth among the elitist of the Sindorei.

Dark had fallen, and Erazen had helped his companion to his own home to tend to him, having already figured the wear and tear that had been left as a result. Unable to stand from his exhaustion, Erazen simply took him to bed, the superior of the two sitting up against the headboard as Kaenniar's lay along his side, with only his torso fallen over Erazen's lap, allowing the lieutenant to manipulate his healing magic however he pleased, under the single stipulation that the shirt remained on, lest Kaen's lover bear witness to the scabs and bruises with his own eyes.

The two of them had remained quiet most of the night, Erazen tending to his lover with a steady hand, uncertainty growing as he watched the dark fabric covering Kaenniar's shoulder. The glow at his hand fading, he took a gentle hold of his collar, though Kaenniar was quick to throw his hand up to prevent Erazen from pulling away his shirt, ashamed of the blemishes upon his skin.

"Don't…" Kaen trailed off with a whimper of a voice.

Erazen frowned, "I can't heal you too much, to avoid suspicion. I need to see where I have to stop."

Kaenniar's hand refused to budge, leaving Erazen with a weakened sigh, almost regrettably, "I'm a soldier, Kaen; I've seen worse. Why does this trouble you so?"

A silent pause followed, leaving Erazen to frown at the trembling taking place in his lap, presumably due to how troubled his lover was, though Kaenniar finally replied with downtrodden voice, "I don't… I don't want you to see me like that."

"Kaen," Erazen noted with a warmth that betrayed his serious tone, "I've watched you shake, violently, in my very arms after we've made love and I neglected to withhold my mana from diffusing into your skin. I thought your very heart would cease. I've seen you at your most helpless, and I've loved you all the more for trusting me that much. Some darkened skin won't keep me away, now; nothing could."

Slowly, Kaenniar's hand slid away, allowing Erazen's fingers to curl around the collar of his shirt, the superior's voice echoing lowly in regret, "Bruises won't kill you. I almost did that night; I'm not-"

"Now you hush," Kaenniar muttered quietly, "Don't you ever use that phrase."

Erazen smiled lightly, recognizing his lover's stealing his own words from earlier in the day, leaving Kaenniar to go on, "You couldn't hurt me."

"Perhaps not, but I could accidentally kill-"

"You could kill me, but it wouldn't hurt," Kaenniar interrupted, shaking as the unmistakable sound of chuckling passed through the air, "Holding too much magic might kill me, but it's no different from anybody else. It's like a drug for me as well; it's just the spectrum is far more magnified in me."

He whispered, "You might have killed me, but that sweet, encircling intoxication of your skin on mine… It wouldn't have hurt."

Erazen sighed, "Cute."

Kaenniar smirked as Erazen began to tug at his shirt, signaling his intention to remove it so that he could examine his shoulders. The younger of the two obeyed the insinuation, having worked up enough strength to push himself up, carefully reaching to the them of his shirt and gingerly pulling it up past his chest, an unsure tremble accompanying the motion, though Erazen was quick to reach a tender stroke of his finger atop his back to comfort him. His shirt came off, leaving Erazen with a scowl at his nasty the man's shoulders remained, despite his time having already healing him, even if he'd been careful not to overdo it for fear of healing the man altogether.

A quiet shudder ran across Kaenniar's body as Erazen returned his hand to his companion's neck, gently stroking it as though to get him familiar with the sensation, though it only seemed to lull Kaenniar to sleepiness, his head gradually teetering to the side as it attempted to meet the roaming, warm appendage. Erazen dug a thumb into Kaenniar's skin, forcing a reflexive jerking motion that left the younger one with a subtle throwing of his shoulder to wave away the rough action.

"I need you awake," Erazen explained, "I can only heal you so much, but I need you to tell me when it stops aching, at the very least."

Kaen grumbled with upset at being told not to do exactly what he wanted to do. Erazen's magic, his mana, continuously flowed through the man's veins, and while Kaenniar was unable to hold in magic that same way, his senses were still as honed as any other blood elf's when it came to those sensations. Erazen, especially, had such warm skin due to his mana, and now, with Kaen sitting just in front of the man he loved, resting back against his chest to give Erazen access to his shoulders; it was all Kaenniar could do between that warmth and the day's tire to remain awake instead of simply curling up in his lover's arms and fall asleep to the lullaby of warm skin and magically churning blood that audibly lead to the ear.

His eyes remained heavy as Erazen's hand began to glow once more, tenderly stroking that darkened skin as he spoke up, "Talk. It'll keep you awake."

"I don't want to," Kaen explained belligerently, "Let my shoulder ache. I won't feel it while I'm sleeping."

Erazen groaned, "And tomorrow when you're back to doing drills?"

Kaen shrugged, "I'll just think of you. That often makes me feel better."

Rolling his glowing eyes, Erszen frowned, "You know, you really can't keep complaining about me calling you cute."

"You can't do it now," Kaen muttered, his head falling low.

Erazen caught that he was referring to his shoulders, so broken and torn up by a litany of bruises and welts, and replied easily, "If you truly want to lose me calling you cute, the last thing you need is the unblemished skin of a four hundred year old Sindorei whose gone most his life boisterously and callously avoiding responsibility at every turn."

"I'm not a Sindorei," Kaenniar replied lowly, his suddenly upturning voice catching his lover off guard and late on the uptake, "Besides, that all was only 'cause I hadn't a thing to love and feel responsible toward. Before you, I-"

"What did you just say?"

Erazen's deepening tone forced a slightly concerned tremor over Kaenniar's heart, unable to reply as Erazen went on, wholly serious, "You aren't a Sindorei? I told you already, don't you ever think that you're-"

"I am a Paleray," Kaenniar muttered, too lost in his speech to notice that the warmth at his shoulder was fading, "Derogatory or not, if it describes me, it defines me. 'n until I accept that, I'll continue being just I-"

Erazen immediately slid his rough arms around Kaenniar's sides, wrapping them around his lover with open palms to run his calloused palms atop the tenderly soft skin of the man before him, pulling Kaen's back into his chest as he might a backwards hug, dropping his face into the crick between his neck and shoulder. Kaenniar shivered at the coarse touch that sent the hairs atop his skin standing upright, dropping his gaze, so certain that he was unworthy of such a hold in his present state.

"What makes you a Paleray beyond your inability to carry mana within your veins? 'cause if that's the only stipulation," Erazen explained tenderly, "I've already told you. I'm your vessel. If ever you require such a thing, it's only a kiss away, a hug away. Even a loving touch atop your shoulder; however you require. My mana, my magic, is yours as much as it mine. We've shared our hearts, our bodies; what's mana compared to that?"

Silence beckoned forth despite their sudden closeness, leaving Erazen quite miffed by the quietness that followed his outpouring of tender speech. He gently caressed however little of Kaenniar's skin he could with his arms wrapped so tightly around his frame, leaving a kiss or two against that dreary skin that had rendered the poor man so self-concious. A wavery sigh from Kaenniar signaled his preparing to speak, though it also left his body atremble.

"I'm living a half-life," Kaen whispered in trembling regret, turmoil lining his voice, "Between forcing myself not to love you beyond closed doors and finding myself so in love and attached when we're hidden."

He shook his head, "You, yourself, living as a soldier on the one hand and betraying your mandate on the other."

Erazen frowned, the shape of his downturned lips leaving enough of an impressed upon his lover's skin that Kaen's heart fell simply without a word. The superior shut his eyes in thought, knowing his words would sting the man so close to his chest, to his mana-infused heart.

"You knew this going in, Kaen. That doesn't mean I love you any less," Erazen quietly explained, "We agreed-"

"I agreed to nothing!" Kaen suddenly cried out in anguish, his throat choking up from a rising upset, "When I fell for you, it wasn't because of any agreement! It wasn't because I needed anything from you! It was because my whole life I'd been made to feel like I was lesser than everybody else! I was the street rat whose parents didn't want him; who only has a place to call home because of some ancient governance that no man should go without a duty to his Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas. I was the one spat on, kicked, thrown to the ground, my entire life; and out comes this strong, self-assured man who saw beyond that, who took my paleness and saw something that complimented his own life and not something ugly that needed to be expunged."

"My entire life, throughout my entire service, I had mages and priests over me, flooding my body with mana to the point of drowning me, an inch away from death for any attempt at correcting whatever was wrong; reorienting whatever it was within me that needed charging, and every time, nothing, not a thing, and they would just scoff and leave me there on the altar like I was some rotten piece of flesh in need of decay; but then you come along, and you accidentally did the same, and you cried, and you held me so tight, not because of my affliction, but because you cared about the man beneath that paleness, beneath that ugly stain upon the untarnished face of the Sindorei name. and ever since then, I can't help but love you, and adore you; I can't help that your very name makes my heart ache and my knees weak; I can't help that I want nothing more than to hear you say my name and want you so proudly at my side; I can't-!"

Erazen's hand slid around from Kaenniar's chest, flying up and forcibly taking hold of Kaen's forehead, bringing his head to the side, right into the waiting lips of Erazen, Kaen's eyes widening at the sight of his lover's tear-stained eyes, even his kiss tasting of the drops of sincerity. Erazen pulled his arm into Kaen's head, pulling him closer into the kiss, his own body shaking as he fought back further tears, simply losing himself within the touch of his beloved.

Kaenniar's eyes shut in turn, his own tears leaving them aflame, even more so as an outpouring of mana essence began to assault his lips, leaving the man shivering from the burning sensation welling up in his face, soon enough flooding his entire body with that druggish sensation that was such a staple of the Sindorei, feeling his very senses wane as he not only lost himself within Erazen's lips, but his lover very similarly losing himself within Kaenniar's body, his mana overflowing as though in hunting for a balance between the two bodies.

His body so greatly finding such a substance to be foreign, Kaenniar's mind began to whiten in a blank mass, his hand yanking itself up to clutch at Erazen's cheek, nearly beginning to claw at his skin as Kaenniar's very breath began to leave him, his faculties simultaneously beginning to close off as his body slowed to accommodate the unknown substance of magic within. Soon enough, recognizing from Kaenniar's own boyishly extensive lengths he was willing to go to in the name of such a pleasurable enterprise, Erazen pulled away with tearful eyes, watching Kaenniar's eyes open like slits, so darkened from the experience, leaving the older of the two to return his free arm slung back around Kaen's torso, leaning to the side as the two slowly fell away from the headboard and onto the bed.

Erazen's hold tightened as Kaenniar's hands unknowingly wavered in the air, struggling to find the skin of his lover to clutch upon, finally grappling onto Erazen's arm as he muttered quietly, his voice a hushed tone that signaled just how much of his mind had left him.

"L-Love…you" was all he could manage, his body so immensely spent from the whole-encompassing experience.

His eyes drawn to a close as well, Erazen brought his head down atop his lover's chest, emulating the younger man as he began to tenderly stroke it atop his bare chest, still apprehensive about such things that might leave his lover a shell. Sometimes he'd feel slightly peeved about being neglected of pleasure himself, but tonight…tonight was so very different. All Erazen hoped to do was love the man in his arms, to reassure him that his love and affections were so very real.

For a soldier so indebted to Silvermoon, Erazen felt in the darkest parts of his mind that he needed to remind, even himself, of such things.

Darkness still surrounded his vision when Kaen's eyes opened, knowing already upon awakening that his body's shaking had ceased, his organs having pumped through all of the nana as he slept, leaving him with the barely pouring tap of natural mana he'd been given at birth. Like with an oversaturation of alcohol, too much magical essence would leave his body in need of sleep, and considering the warmth beneath him, Erazen's body had only exacerbated that need. Kaen's mildly glowing eyes must have tipped his host off to his awakening, for in that moment, a tender finger stroked his hair, coming from Erazen, even his finger rolling off Kaen's hair leaving the unmistakable trail of mana diffusion.

"Morning. somewhat," Erazen spoke with a low, warm tone, "You're up early."

"So're you," Kaen reminded sleepily, turning his head so that his face could press into that lightly burning mass of skin that was so swirl with rough scars and edges, curling into softness.

Erazen chuckled for a quiet moment, "I'm not the one who needs my rest. You've had a long day."

The slur of tire fell into Kaen's speech, "So've you. You've had t'deal with me."

"That's the easiest thing," Erazen replied, his smile carrying with his voice, "Does your shoulders hurt?"

He felt Kaen's face turn in a nod, his nose pressing into his stomach, leaving Erazen to explain, "I just healed you enough to leave the marks. Can't have anybody asking questions, can we? Talk about suspicious; somebody with no magic healing himself. Legionnaire Mirthswitch would probably have a boar."

Quickly seizing his chuckling body to keep from disturbing his lover, Erazen simply remained entangling his fingers in Kaen's hair, running them down its length until they freed themselves down its silky frayed ends before starting over once again, trying to lull the man back to sleep.

"Storms rolled through a few hours ago," Erazen spoke up quietly, "They didn't wake you, did they?"

Kaen's head didn't move, though his voice broke through, his warm breath tickling Erazen's skin, "What if there'd been a tornado? or a surprise hurricane? You'd still want me asleep."

Sensing his disapproval, Erazen grinned, "You underestimate just how much I would do to keep you in comfort. I'd carry your exhausted ass to safety without you knowing a think to trouble you."

"The fact that you'd do too much, implying that I can't do enough, is troublesome enough…" Kaen complained, his head immediately ashuffle as Erazen's body shook with silent laughter.

"I've as much loyalty in my veins as I do magic," Erazen explained simply, leaving Kaen with a frown at his lack of refutation.

The two quieted down as Erazen continued lulling his lover to sleep, taking the opportunity to sacrifice his sleep for Kaen in substitute for so much else he was unable to sacrifice for him. His hand continued its worship of Kaen's soft hair, his fingers now curling to take a gentle handful of the silky tendrils, pulling along slowly, knowing that such things brought that comforting tingle atop Kaen's scalp that he loved so much.

Quietly, Kaen's voice emerged once again, "What's it like..?"

"Hmm?"

"Having magic," Kaen wondered quietly.

Erazen thought for a moment, taking a deep breath as he stared into the distance, "Well, uh, let's see… I mean, it's different depending on- Okay, I'm more in tune with the arcane, right? Like how people have different eye colors, everybody who's predetermined at birth to be magic users are also predicated for certain types of magic. I know mages that deal with pyromancy, they take their power from the Sunwell, mostly, which is also why Eversong is bathed in eternal springtime. The tauren druids derive their magic from the elements around them. Arcane users, like me, we derive our powers from within; we've been predilected for the arcane because our bodies are bathed in that magic energy, naturally, which is why I'm so warm and why I glow at times- I'm just naturally a geyser of mana, really."

"That's why I took up Dalaran Marbles from a young age, actually," Erazen chuckled, eyeing the banner Kaen had noted the morning before, "All that energy running rampant, my parents wanted me to learn to control it when I had it in droves, and how to allow it to slow burn when I had too much and needed to release some of it. You've seen me sitting cross-legged, completely still, with my eyes shut, right? That's me emptying some mana into the ether when it gets too overwhelming; it took me long enough to figure you could do that- so many Sindorei elders would rather us become mindless shells that can be commanded than waste a drop of that mana. They lost it once, and being so addicted, they'd rather us not waste that essence."

Kaen frowned, "That's a shame. Y'know, I could always take that extra mana from you. I've plenty of space for it."

A chuckle came from Erazen as his head fell back against the headboard, his eyes shining their light toward the ceiling, "I've often thought of how perfect a couple we seem to be in that respect."

Erazen felt Kaen's head nuzzle up closer to his stomach, digging into his skin with a contented swath of movement, sleepiness now lining his tone after being quieted by his lover's voice, "How does Dalaran Marbles work?"

The superior grinned mischievously, his intentions having worked quite better than anticipated, continuing to stroke the man's head beneath him to work him back to that sleeping realm where Kaen could freely wander along with the man he loved at his side. To be sure, such an avenue allowed Erazen the chance to watch his sleeping face as well, offering him his own path toward contentedness in unison with Kaen's own.

"Well," Erazen spoke up quietly, his body rumbling with his deep voice, "It derived from the human mages from some ridiculous version that's essentially luck. If you add magic to the game, it becomes a game of mastery, particularly how it's constructed. Essentially, you've a round, table-top arena and you launch marbles from your thumb, trying to launch your opponent's from the ring, with the victor being the one with the most in-bound marbles at the end. Of course, the Dalaran version includes magic, so you alter marble's paths, countering your opponent's casts while improving your own- some games even have mage referees who keep tabs on how much magic is being expelled, in the event there should be a cap on magical influence."

"That's why I took it up; you get enough good referees, you're forced to control your mana output to an extreme amount. For somebody such as me, with a sweltering amount of mana, you have to learn to-"

The feeling of Kaen's head rolling further down his body, as though sleep had taken him and kept him from holding his posture, forced a pause from Erazen as he smiled, brushing the lengthy, blonde hair from Kaen's ear, leaning his torso forward just enough to leave a kiss there upon his favorite part of his lover's body, his blinking eyes slowing in contentedness as his body began to feel as though it were melting with such a steady diffusion leaving his body to enter Kaen's, not enough to disturb him, but enough to keep the younger man surely warm and fuzzy as he slept. For Erazen, such a steady drain left him seeking out sleep for himself, reaching over to yank the nearby thickly woolen blanket overtop the two of them, keeping their warmth contained, ever circulating beneath the sheet with their love for one another.

"Maybe I just had to learn to find somebody to share all that mana with," Erazen concluded sincerely, sleepiness forcing a yawn to cut off the rest of his thought before he leaned gently to the side, allowing himself to curl up however he could, allowing sleep to overtake him as well.