Chapter 2 I Wish To Stay

"So, Caramon," Tika Waylen asked him when she brought their drink and food over to the table. She placed the plates and cups down onto the swirled surface of the rough wood with muffled thumps. "When do you intend to leave Solace again to travel?"

Caramon felt the eyes of everyone at the table shift onto him, Tanis, Flint, Sturm, Tasselholf, but most of all, the golden, burning eyes of his twin that were concealed deep within his hood. He cleared his throat and took a long swallow of whatever was in his large mug before answering. "I don't know, actually. I haven't really had time to speak to Raistlin at length about the matter."

Raistlin shifted in his seat in the corner when everyone's eyes turned to him, one of his golden skinned hands stroking down the beautiful, polished wooden length of his staff almost lovingly. Caramon flushed slightly at the suggestiveness of his twin's gesture, never having noticed it before, assuming that it was their actions together last night that had brought it to his attention now.

He was so consumed by his own thoughts that it took him a moment to realize that his brother was speaking softly.

"I find myself wearying of the constant traveling. I plan to stay put here, at least for a while."

"Really?" Caramon asked in surprise. "But, Raist, where would we live? We can't pay to stay at the inn for long. It's too expensive."

"I have been saving some of our money for a while now. It's not much, but it should be just enough to build a small house. Especially if our friends pitch in and help so that we don't have to pay workers. I'll do what I can, but physical things aren't my strong point."

"Of course we'll help," Tanis said, looking at the others who were nodding in agreement. "It's about time the pair of you settled down for a while. Too much traveling with put you in an early grave," Flint said gruffly, taking a long drink of his ale before digging into his spiced-potatoes with gusto.

"Ha, ha.." Caramon pretended to laugh at the dwarf's statement.

"Yes, really witty.." Raistlin rasped mockingly, glaring at Tika from beneath his hood when she continued to hover around his large brother. He knew exactly what her angle was, and why she had asked Caramon if they were leaving again soon.

It was really too bad that he couldn't come right out and claim his twin as his to her face. He would have most enjoyed the look upon her countenance in response. But it would have been too dangerous. The last thing that he wanted was for him and Caramon to have to flee Solace for their lives if she told anybody.

He had told the truth before with his answer. He was tired of always traveling. Of sleeping on the hard, cold ground. But it was more then that. He wanted a home. With Caramon. And Solace was the closest thing to a home they had. Perhaps, with time, if they were granted that time, it could truly become their home despite the bad memories here for them both.

Raistlin was resting. He leaned up against a tree where he sat at the base of its trunk after using his magic to assist in the raising of the walls of their future home. Caramon had told him to rest after he had started trembling and swaying on his feet with fatigue, and he had been too tired to offer much protest on the matter.

To Raistlin's severe irritation, Tika Waylen was there in the clearing that he had chosen three miles outside Solace, wanting neither to be too close or too far from the village, watching Caramon as he helped the others.

Sweat dripped from the ends of Caramon's honey-toned hair and down his bare chest as he chopped down trees for more wood. His older twin also helped Tanis, Sturm, and Flint settle the walls firmly into place, conversing back and forth with his brother when possible about what type of furniture he would like to have for the house.

"I want a long counter for the kitchen, with cabinets on the bottom for pots and pans," Raistlin answered him, thinking on what he wanted. ""It will go near the kitchen's fireplace, of course. A wooden shelf with deep slots and shelves for my books and scrolls to go in my study. A small sofa and perhaps a couple chairs for the entertaining room. Oh, and of course a table and chairs for the kitchen."

"But you only specified four rooms, Raistlin," Tasselholf piped up. "If one is the kitchen, one is an entertaining room, and one is your study, that only leaves one room to sleep in. Where will you sleep?"

Everyone was waiting for his answer, he could tell, and Raistlin wanted to whack the nosy Kender with his staff for bringing up the subject.

"In my study," he answered him shortly, lying to get him to shut it before he aroused even more suspicion in the minds of the others.

"You'll be needing two beds, then?" Sturm questioned him. "Caramon will handle it," he said firmly, determinedly avoiding answering him. "And he will decide what else he wants for the house."

"But what about when Caramon marries?" Tika spoke for the first time since she had arrived there to observe the process of building the house. "Won't he need rooms for the future children?"

"We don't have that kind of money right now," Raistlin said truthfully, using that as a way to explain it away. "I intend to give compensation to Solace for the use of these trees. We can always add on later."

"Who said I intend to marry at all?" Caramon demanded of Tika, his eyes flashing with fire as he set down his ax and then crossed his arms over his large, bare chest, ignoring his own sweaty state as he stared her down intently.

"I- I.. Well..," Tika stammered as she stared at him, surprised by his reaction, and confused. "I.. I just assumed…"

"Well, don't," Caramon said roughly, shaking the perspiration soaked hair back from his face in irritation. "I don't like it when people make assumptions about me without discussing it with me first."

"So.. You'd rather bed countless women forever instead of having a steady, loving wife and children?"

"You said it, not me. But, even if that was what I wanted, I still don't see how my business is any of yours."

Tika's face reddened as she gasped, her eyes widening with pain and hurt. Without another word to anyone, she spun on her heel and flounced back up the invisible path that led back to Solace quickly.

"That was not well done of you, Caramon," Sturm said to him chidingly as they all watched Tika storm off. "The woman loves you."

"No, she only thinks that she loves me. She worships me because she romanticizes me as a hero. Perhaps it could grow into love if nurtured, but I don't want her. I don't want to be worshiped. I want to be loved, I want to be needed. Me, not the warrior, just Caramon. I just want to be Caramon."

All of them were clearly surprised at his well thought out explanation, but nothing more was said on the subject as they all continued working on the house.

Later That Night

Caramon and Raistlin had decided to sleep in their half-finished house. There were walls, but no roof, and only the door and one window hole had been cut out. The others had gone back to Solace until tomorrow, promising to return to help more with the building of the structure.

The two brothers got settled in their bedrolls in the middle of the wooden frame that was soon to be their home together, laying side by side. Raistlin rolled closer to Caramon with his back to the large man, sighing softly when his twin put his arm over his waist tenderly.

The Mage leaned back closer still against his body, his eyes resting briefly on his staff and pouches before he turned his head, lifting his right hand up to cradle the right side of Caramon's face in his palm, drawing him down by the hair gently for a kiss.

Caramon was obviously surprised by his actions, but he didn't resist, kissing him back with an eagerness that threatened to set them both aflame with the force of their sudden desire.

Caramon rolled Raistlin over gently so that he lay on his back beneath him without breaking their kiss. The Mage arched his back, pushing himself up against his brother's body hungrily, a soft moan escaping him as the kiss turned desperate now.

Caramon found the oil quickly, shoving his twin's red robes up to bunch around his slim hips and stroking his length with one hand as he dipped his other fingers in the oil. He lightly caressed Raistlin's opening when he spread his legs for him, feeling it quiver and soften as he became aroused, letting two of his large fingers inside easily.

A loud groan escaped Caramon when Raistlin hissed softly, his nails raking upwards over his back where Raistlin had slid them beneath the big man's shirt without his notice.

"Tell me you want me!" the smaller man growled, the sound almost masking the vulnerability in his voice. "Tell me you need me!"

"I want you," Caramon moaned, kissing the man beneath him roughly, hungrily. "I need you. I love you, Raist!"

"Yessssss!" Raistlin moaned as well at his brother's words, hissing as a third finger entered his body slowly. He was obviously enjoying it from the look of heated desire in his golden-hourglass eyes as he stared up at him…

Tanis the half-Elf slid silently through the trees, heading back to the clearing where they had all been earlier in the day. He was intending to hopefully eavesdrop on a conversation between the two brothers, as he wanted to understand about this sudden, uncharacteristic desire of Raistlin's to stay put in Solace.

He snuck up to the partially finished house, lifting himself up to look in the window hole, thankful that Caramon's large back was to him, surprised that the two brother's lay so close together. Then his eyes widened, his mouth hanging open with shock at what he next observed.

Raistlin moved, shifting his body back even closer against his brother's. He turned his head back as he lifted a golden hand, drawing Caramon's face down to his to kiss him on the mouth. Even more shocking, Caramon did not pull away from the touch. He kissed him back with obvious eagerness, even rolling Raistlin over gently so that the Mage lay on his back beneath him, the two of them continuing to kiss.

He stared in horrified-fascination as Raistlin arched his back, pushing himself up against the large man's body desperately, a soft moan escaping his chest as the kiss turned heated.

He watched them in frozen silence as Caramon found a small jar, shoving Raistlin red robes up to bunch around his waist. Tanis was thankful that he couldn't see anything because Caramon's body covered his twin's so thoroughly, knowing from Raistlin's facial expressions that the big man was stroking the Mage's cock tenderly as he dipped his big fingers in the jar, slicking them up with oil.

Raistlin spread his legs further for Caramon so that they rested with knees bent on either side of the warrior's hips with his bare golden feet flat against the blanket, their positions making it shockingly obvious what they intended.

Tanis knew that at least one of Caramon's fingers was inside Raistlin now when the Mage hissed softly, his face twisting with pleasure as his nails raked up over the bare skin of his brother's back where his hands were now beneath his shirt, causing Caramon to groan loudly at his actions.

"Tell me you want me!" Raistlin growled at him. "Tell me you need me!"

"I want you," Caramon moaned, shuddering as he kissed the smaller man beneath him roughly, hungrily. "I need you. I love you, Raist!"

Tanis would have been fearful that this was just another one of Raistlin's manipulative methods to control his older brother, except that the Mage himself seemed just as helpless before the intense desire that swirled around them both as they kissed and touched each other.

"Yessssss!" Raistlin moaned in response, hissing softly again, his golden-hourglass gaze clearly intense and heated as he stared up at his brother. "Now, Caramon, now!"

Caramon nodded, his large hands, and body, obviously shaking as he tried to unbuckle his own belt quickly, smiling sheepishly when the Mage pushed his hands aside gently to do it for him. He even pulled down his pants and undergarments to free his twin's large cock, tugging him closer by the hips now and licking his lips with obvious anticipation as Caramon also took hold of his brother's hips, starting to push the head of his penis into him slowly and carefully.

Raistlin cried out in what Tanis thought to be pain before he moaned and threw his head back, his eyes closed tight as he panted and whimpered, trembling, gasping as Caramon finally seated himself inside Raistlin fully.

"Ahhhh, Caramon! Fuck, yes!" Raistlin groaned, shocking Tanis anew with his language since he had never heard him speak so crudely before.

The larger man was panting heavily, lowering his head to fasten his lips to the Mage's again with obvious eagerness. He then started to move inside his brother with fierce, rocking thrusts when Raistlin's slim hips jerked, involuntarily pushing closer against the warrior.

"Caramon!" Raistlin moaned low, clutching at his brother's broad shoulders when he lifted the Mage's legs up higher by the backs of his upper thighs with his big hands. This changed the angle of their bodies so that he could thrust even deeper into his hot tightness, his slim body shaking with obvious pleasure and need. "Harder, by the Magic, harder, please!"

Caramon groaned, almost as though he was in pain with the force of their mutual desire, moving faster now into his twin's beautiful body as he wanted him to. Raistlin visibly shuddered and tensed, panting and trembling like a delicate leaf in a strong wind before arching his back again as his eyes closed. He was screaming Caramon's name as he painted his brother's lower abdomen with his release before falling limp with completion in his hold.

Caramon continued to thrust hard into him until he spilled as well, settling the Mage back down on his back on the bedrolls before releasing his legs. He withdrew from him with obvious reluctance and lay down on his back beside him. Caramon did not even bother to pull his pants back up, though Raistlin did put his undergarments and robes back in order, cleaning himself up as much as possible before he allowed Caramon to pull him close under his left arm and tight against his body.

"I love you, Raist," Tanis heard Caramon say again, this time in a soft whisper as he pressed his lips to his brother's temple and stroked his long white hair tenderly.

"I…" Raistlin rasped quietly, obviously struggling with the unfamiliar, emotional words that were clawing fiercely to be free of his throat and heart. "…Caramon… I… I love you, my brother.."

Caramon's eyes widened at his words, as it had been many years since Raistlin had told him so, moisture filling his eyes despite the fact that he didn't want to anger Raist by making too big a deal out of it.

He knew that it was true, that his brother loved him, but it just felt.. good to hear it after so long without.

Caramon shifted his hands briefly to pull his own undergarments and pants back up, settling his arm back around Raistlin's shoulders with an affectionate sigh.

"Goodnight, Raist."

"…Goodnight, Care."