37. Excite
Warning: a little slashy.
While Esau considered the bond he had with his brother to have surpassed the petty relationships of the others, he had observed the way that other humans interacted with one another. Eventually, he realized with dismay that he and Jacob had not actually learned a practice that so many of the human couples, or friends, performed on an almost weekly basis if not more often. For all their obsession with it, he assumed it must be pretty exciting.
A few times, he had even been approached about participating in these acts, but he understood that he would be the only inexperienced one among them. Unwilling to appear foolish in front of the unforgiving humans, he wanted to explore this new aspect of humanity with one that knew even less about it than he, one who would be learning along with him.
Esau traced the faded scar on Jacob's shoulder, recalling the day an outsider's arrow had pierced him there at twenty-seven when they saw the blonde spying on the camp. Though Esau had long abandoned his old family by that time, he furiously informed the men that the next to even touch Jacob would be killed at once.
Then Esau took the pale hand in his, lowering his lips to kiss each fingertip until arriving at the rough one. Lingering there, he lifted his eyes questioningly, and Jacob half-smiled. "I pricked it earlier—" His breath caught, and the rest of the response was lost as Esau turned the hand over and licked along the knuckles.
There, he circled the largest bump with his tongue, and remembered the horrible crack as it broke when Jacob punched a wooden board. Then Esau raised his head and kissed Jacob on the mouth, closing his eyes at the dizziness that rushed through him. At Jacob's sudden gasp, Esau's eyes flew open and he drew away, staring at a crack in Jacob's lower lip. "That one's new."
"It's nothing."
"How did it happen?"
"I don't remember."
Lowering his voice, Jacob spoke so softly that Esau strained to hear. "What are we doing?"
"Just something I've picked up from the humans. Do you want to stop?" Esau's eyes searched Jacob's face as he prayed that the answer would be not be the timid yes that he almost expected, and dreaded.
A moment of hesitation—then, a half-breathed whisper, "No."