Title: Word of the Day v. FFIV
Author: Garnet Eyes
Archived: fanfiction .net, livejournal .com
Last Updated: 26 Feb 2011
Summary: 28 October 1999 edition.
Rating: M
Characters/Pairings: Kain, Kain x Cecil x Rosa
Author Notes: wayworn, adjective;
1. Wearied by traveling.
Disclaimers: Final Fantasy IV is owned by Square-Enix and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.
...
By the time Kain returned to Baron, he had spent many years in the wilderness without the comforts that a noble took for granted. Cecil was not particularly restrained in his greeting, but then, it wouldn't be Cecil if he had settled for something as simple as a handshake. The paladin had always been tactile, and the dragoon was secretly relieved by the embrace he was pulled into. He was also not so secretly bemused by the way Cecil pulled back after a moment and grasped his hand tightly, dragging him off to the royal baths without leave. Kain hadn't the opportunity for more than quick scrubs in cold streams for a long time, and the heat of the water penetrating his tense muscles was a welcome relief. Of course, the younger knight opted to bathe with him, and his soft voice was a pleasant backdrop that Kain was all too happy to listen to as he soaked himself. Cecil wouldn't allow him to cloth himself in any of the scant articles he had left, pushing silks at the older knight seemingly haphazardly. Of course, the paladin did not have any of Kain's clothing in his areas, although some of that ongoing yammering implied that such a fact would change very soon, and the dragoon found himself garbed in some of Cecil's attire. The tunic was small for him, but it was fresh and clean and much softer than the threadbare cloth that had gone under his armor until now. The trousers were short, but predictably loose at the hips due to the younger knight's peculiar proportions; Kain was just happy to have on something decent.
Rosa learned of his arrival some time while he was in the bath, and she hardly waited for him to exit the chamber beside Cecil before she, too, launched into his arms and squeezed as tightly as her strength allowed her. He apparently smelled better, because she didn't pull away so readily. Dinner was another thing that tantalized the dragoon, and he enjoyed each dish immensely. It had been a rare occasion that he would head into town to acquire more of the dwindling necessities he carried, and it was rarer still to stop long enough to have even so much as a meal from a tavern. What Kain enjoyed the most now that he was back in Baron, however, was the bed. Packed soil and rocks were unpleasant nesting grounds for even one night, let alone several years. The bed itself was too soft for his tastes by then, but it didn't matter all that much when he was lying face down on top of Cecil. Sort of. He'd need another bath after what they'd done, but that could wait until morning. And perhaps tomorrow night Kain would pillow his head against Rosa's breast instead. Just until he became used to bedding again, of course.