"Umm, cold… I guess?" he muttered lazily, delicately running his fingers through the loose, red hair. He was too content to even move, all of his muscles burning pleasantly and his eyes closed as a tiny – very real – grin tilted his lips without an input of his will. Who knew that feeling so… wanted was this amazing?
"Cold?" Raha chuckled and the lovely sound had T'senri's ears twitch slightly in delight as his tail tightened just slightly around his historian's waist. Splayed on top of him as he was, the heat of his lover's sated body was beyond pleasurable. They should get up and head to the lake to wash before the camp comes back to life, he knew… but he was, honestly, too blissed-out to move. "I would have never guessed, Snark… So, mighty Warrior of Light is scared of cold?"
"Not scared," he huffed a laugh, running his free hand up and down his lover's back. "Just… don't like it. I don't know why, really… but somehow it's always bothered me – perhaps more than other Tia's… And just a few days ago… I literally got my ass frosted to hell," he shivered involuntarily at the reminder.
"Huh? When you were gone…?" he felt Raha shift on top of him slightly and cross his arms over Warrior's chest. When he peered down through his lashes, his historian rested his chin on top of his crossed forearms and looked at him with more than a hint of curiosity in his beautiful, mismatched irises. That was the thing with his lover, he already figured… Raha was always curious and his mind swallowed knowledge with almost scary speed. Even the things that T'senri found impossibly booooring, his historian seemed to enjoy. And as much as he loved to distract him from their search… he found that whenever his lover would explain some bit and pieces of what those dusty tomes contained in that low, soothing voice of his… he couldn't help but grow mesmerized and ask more questions, yearning for more. Which felt weird, when usually his boundless energy would barely let him stay still for a longer moment… much less indulge in an impromptu lecture. And he also found that… it was nice. Especially since Raha never laughed or even commented on his… lacks. In knowledge and manners… and such. "What happened?" he asked and Warrior delicately flicked his red-furred ear, smiling when it twitched.
"Eh… got in a fight with Shiva," he barely choked down a chuckle when his historian's pretty, bruised lips dropped open slightly and his red-cyan eyes widened impossibly. "And apparently the Saint has a thing for ice… Seriously, she froze my ass solid for a moment and literally stomped on my head… Don't recommend," he grumbled, making it sound playful to chase away the hint of worry in his historian's eyes when Raha bit his lower lip.
"That… does not sound pleasant, no…" his lover sighed, then pursed his lips slightly. "Senri… I know it's part of your… calling. Facing the Primals… but isn't it quite much to ask of one man?" he murmured, shifting to free one hand and using its fingers to gently brush back the sweat-dampened strands of black hair from T'senri's cheek.
"I'm the Warrior, love," he chuckled humorlessly, looking up at the ceiling of his tent above his nest. "Only I can do that… so, that's how it must be."
"And… if you weren't?" his lover whispered, closing his fingers around his chin and pulling his gaze back to him. Again, he smiled almost involuntarily at the sight of… care in those pretty eyes even as his historian's expression was, oh, so serious. "If Hydealyn wouldn't pick you… who would you be, Senri?"
The Warrior blinked slowly, frowning as when he thought about it… nothing came to mind.
"A Scion, I guess," he muttered finally, covering his slight… uncertainty by wrapping his arms around his lover. "Assuming that I would still have Echo… I was just that… until the whole Blessing reveal… and I quite enjoyed that."
"And if not…?" his historian's eyes didn't lose anything of their sudden seriousness. "If you were simply Senri… who would he be?"
He flinched nervously, looking away from Raha's eyes and again toward the roof. Anyone else… he would already snark at to hide his uncertainty and changed the topic to something safer… but his Raha…
"I don't know," he admitted finally in a whisper, closing his eyes and feeling a gentle drag of his lover's fingers along his jaw. "It's been years since I could be anything but the Warrior, Raha. When I left my tribe… I just wanted to prove… That I can be… s-something. That the fact that I couldn't… couldn't be what others wanted… didn't matter. That my mom wasn't wrong… to think I'm special… to treat me differently… To… care. So that someday… I can go back and she would be proud," he sighed tiredly but when his lover stayed silent, just delicately rubbing his fingertips over his cheek, he took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, frowning before continuing. "When I arrived in Ul'dah… it was rough. I barely knew anything of the outside world, learning on the way basically… All I was allowed to learn back in the tribe was fighting… to eventually face my sire and other Tia's… so I figured… Eh, I simply had no idea… I signed myself into the Gladiator's guild. The way I look… my height and all, gave me quite an edge over the others, I guess," he shrugged slightly, blushing. He hated his looks… hated that they put him so apart, but even he had to admit at least in that they were useful.
"I imagine," his historian chuckled, then shifted slightly and T'senri felt him settle down, resting his cheek over his heart. And because he could… he wrapped his arms around Raha tightly, rubbing his chin against his hair. "Go on?"
"Before I met Thancred…" he did, without opening his eyes smiling when his lover stilled and growled softly… perhaps recognizing the name. "Jealous?" he hummed with amusement, delicately nipping on the shell of his ear.
"…perhaps," Raha chuckled a bit sheepishly. "But you're mine now… so, before meeting him…?"
"Eh… Ul'dah isn't really… a nice place," soothed by his historian's easy claim, he freed one hand to smooth it down his back and allowed it to splay possessively over his lover's delectable behind. That Raha gasped slightly but didn't protest, had him grin and purr loudly as he nuzzled against his red hair gratefully. His lover was quite bashful – he learned quickly – getting upset if he got too… handsy around others, all cute blushes – and even though T'senri thought it was beyond adorable, he carefully avoided upsetting him enough… he would regret agreeing to be his. So whenever in a company… he fought his unbearable need to feel him constantly and tried to behave… and mostly it worked. Sometimes. Thankfully, they had to interact with others only during the shared meals – otherwise, he couldn't warrant his behavior. But when they were alone like this – and the whole camp at the edge of Mor Dhona silent in the middle of the night… he more than enjoyed Raha's silent permission to touch him however he wanted.
"Snark?" his lover chuckled, delicately poking his side to bring back his attention. "Why it isn't nice? Ul'dah," he supplied with another chuckle when the Warrior hummed with confusion.
"Ah… yeah," he laughed softly, placing a fond kiss on top of his historian's head. "Sorry… you're distracting," he added, delicately kneading his lover's buttock.
"No… you're just insatiable," Raha chortled, shaking with it on top of him.
"I am," he admitted without shame, then quickly rolled them over, pinning his lover down into his messy blankets and more than enjoying his quiet laugh when the redhead wrapped his arms around his neck as T'senri nuzzled against his throat affectionately, simply enjoying his heat and their mixed scents on his historian's skin.
"So… Ul'dah?" Raha insisted, freeing one hand to drag his fingers down along the bumps of Warrior's spine.
"It's… a viper's pit," he finally replied with a sigh. "With Monetarists… Eh, Raha, it wasn't very… pleasant."
"How comes?" he whispered, sinking the fingers of his other hand in T'senri's hair and reassuringly petting his ear.
"My looks again," he muttered against the tattoo on his lover's throat. "You see… those people have many, many daughters that apparently have nothing better to do than… play games. I was… propositioned constantly," he almost shivered at the reminder. "They would offer money, gifts… or try to intimidate me into agreeing to fuck them… Threatening me with their families' influence. I shrugged it off… mostly," he admitted when his lover's hands stilled on his body. "I already had enough of it back at the camp… And there I had to care about others' opinions… or so I thought, anyway. To not embarrass my mom more… than I already did," he sighed with bliss when his historian resumed his gentle ministrations. "Then… one night, after a fight in Coliseum, I stumbled out, heading toward the inn at the Adventurer's Guild and intending to fall on my face from exhaustion… when I saw one of those bitches corner one of my friends. A pretty, Hyur boy I trained with occasionally," he grimaced slightly at the memory, then relaxed involuntarily when Raha purred softly, soothingly, and he couldn't help but curl into his embrace. "His name was Dagr and his family was poor. He had three younger sisters and he signed into the Guild to help to support his dear ones… even though he simply hated fighting. Sometimes we talked… after training or fights and he seemed so… earnest, Raha. Just a boy, doing his best to help... And that night, I heard that bitch threaten to get his sisters sold off to the highest bidder if he doesn't become her… toy. Because she was bored… she would destroy his family and hurt them… and I kind of snapped," he admitted in a whisper, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "I… I was young and… I know it's not an excuse… but I… killed her, Raha. Just walked into that alley and snapped her neck without a word… Dagr was terrified… but thanked me and we got rid of her body together… And…" he swallowed thickly, then took a deep breath, only for him, admitting the worst of it. "…I liked it. It felt good… to do."
"She deserved that," his lover whispered, nuzzling against his shoulder. "They… People like that, never stop, Snark. I…" he took a deep breath, then moved his arms around T'senri's shoulders. "I had my share of this in Old Sharlayan, love… and sometimes… I so wished someone was there to step in like that…"
"I would," he assured with a quiet sigh, something inside him simply… relaxing at his historian's easy acceptance.
"I know, my beast," Raha chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. When T'senri involuntarily snorted a laugh at that, his lover nuzzled against his throat affectionately. The Warrior lifted above him, bracing his weight on his elbows around him as he brushed the tip of his nose against his historian's.
"Only yours," he whispered, then rested his forehead against his lover's, drowning in the depths of unique irises. "But… I think, if I didn't became the Scion and then the Warrior… That's something… I would end up doing," he admitted, relaxing further as there was only understanding in his lover's eyes and no judgment. "I… after that, I realized how lucky I was… in a way, Raha. Back at the camp… I was big and strong and no one could really… force me to do anything I didn't want to. In Ul'dah… I simply didn't care about their money and influence. I had no family there whom someone could threaten. But there are so many others who… weren't so lucky. Boys like Dagr… and you," he sighed sadly, dropping his head against his historian's shoulder. "So if you ask whom would I be if I wasn't the Warrior, my heart… I would be the beast, punishing those who think to use others' vulnerabilities this way for their sick entertainment. I still do," he admitted reluctantly in a whisper against his skin. "Whenever I see this… I can't help myself… I just have to be always careful of my title and reputation, but…"
"Good," his lover whispered, suddenly fisting his hand in T'senri's hair and pulling his head back, and Warrior almost expired at the sight of a blaze in his mismatched irises. "You're good, Snark," Raha whispered, placing a gentle kiss at the corner of his mouth then his plush lips tilted into a slight smirk. "It might be selfish of me… but to know it… I am glad, Senri… that there's someone like you. Someone who… cares so much. Someone who doesn't hesitate to save others… no matter the cost to himself. To his soul," he added softly, contrasting it with the way his fingers tightened in Warrior's hair, tearing a helplessly aroused groan from his throat. "You're beautiful, my beast… inside even more than outside," his historian purred in invitation and T'senri's growled in an instinctive answer, instantly painfully aroused as his lover demanded his claim. Only Raha's grip kept him back from claiming those pretty, smirking lips. "And to have you want me… is glorious," he whispered, then let go of his hair and T'senri pounced instantly, swallowing his lover's moan.
Falling for him… all over again…
T'senri blinked slowly, then yawned and involuntarily tightened his arms around his mate's sleeping form. Smiling a bit sheepishly as he felt his body's arousal with the dream's memory, he buried his nose in the red hair and took a deep breath, exhaling softly with bliss. When Raha shifted slightly in his arms, murmured something incoherent then snore-purred loudly, with a distinctive happy note… he couldn't help but grin, even as he smoothed his hand down his lover's side and curled it possessively around his hip, pulling his delectable behind right against his erection.
And because he was always his match… Raha mewled in his sleep with need, rocking back against him with an instinctive demand. T'senri chuckled softly, then shifted, rolling his lover over to his stomach and reaching for the oil near the nest. Settling over his back, he nuzzled against his mate's neck affectionately as he set to gently prepare his beautiful body for him. When he delicately pressed his finger into his heat, Raha again mewled, rutting against the blankets under him slowly as his hand moved around his shoulder and sank in T'senri's hair, massaging the back of his ear.
"Morning," his lover rasped in that maddeningly soothing voice, then moaned softly when Warrior rewarded it but nipping on his mark on his beautiful mate's shoulder. "Though… I guess it must be far from the morning…"
"Don't care," he chuckled, pressing another finger inside him as the unbearably heated muscles relaxed slightly. That it had his prince whimper and roll his hips back against his touch… he purred near-deafeningly, spreading affectionate bites over his neck and shoulders.
"Mhmm," Raha laughed breathlessly, now fisting that hand in his hair. "I can feel t-that," he gasped when T'senri chortled and eagerly rutted against the back of his tight, at the same time pumping his fingers into his mate and adding the third that had his partner whine needily, pushing back harder. "Ah… You're in a m-mood, I see…"
"Dreamed of you," he admitted shamelessly, then deciding it had to enough, pulled his hand back then took him with a relived groan, nearly losing his mind at the unbearable heat of his lover's body as his dick sank into him slowly. Seated inside him, he braced his elbows around his mate's form and went back to nuzzling against his neck as he rocked just slightly on top of him, pulling back an ilm at most and sinking back into his heat, purring louder and louder as his Raha mewled softly, rolling his body in rhythm with his, eagerly taking his claim. "Talk we had few days after you became mine… remember?"
"Mmm… which one?" his lover chuckled breathlessly, with his free hand shakily clawing at the blankets as the other went back to pet T'senri's ear.
"What would I be if I wasn't the Warrior," he whispered, pulling back more and pushing into him harder, biting at his neck delicately when Raha arched under him with a choked whine, then freed his arms to brace them around himself and pushed on them, forcing Warrior back. More than enamored with his lover's strength, growling softly, he complied, rising to all fours and letting him do the same. He grinned against his neck when Raha's tail coiled around his thigh possessively and rewarded it with his next, much harder thrust, tearing a surprised yelp from his mate's throat that ended on a moan. Pressing tight against his back, he only rolled his hips as he took him, gradually increasing the rhythm.
"Ah… ngh, r-remember," his lover gasped, straining to meet his strokes and arching his back to take him deeper… He couldn't help but comply, groaning and gasping as he set to fuck him harder, soon pounding into him harshly. And his Raha took it, only demanding more in his choked whimpers and gasps. "F-First time… I called… you a b-beast…" he laughed breathlessly, then arched with a shout when T'senri growled playfully and slammed into him, pairing it with a harsh slap on his delicious ass. "…oh, fuuuck…" his lover whimpered and he repeated that, beyond furiously aroused at his mate's obvious enjoyment. "S-Snark… need to…" he mewled when he complied instantly, coiling that hand around his cock and pumping it as he growled and bit him at the same time.
Raha came with a keening shout of his name, chanting in between ragged breaths as he shook under him and T'senri growled with satisfaction, then pulled back from his back and wrapped his hands around his lover's hips, soon bouncing him against his dick and with mindless fascination watching his flesh take that glorious body.
"I fell for you then… again," he whispered numbly, mesmerized by the sight, the feeling, the pleasure and his mate's choked whines and whimpers as so soon he pressed back against him, his renewed arousal evident. "Again and again…" he gasped, straining as the pressure at the base of his spine grew unbearable and his cock throbbed, ready to burst. "…you stole my heart… e-every day, every talk, touch, kiss… my perfect Raha…"
"…s-same…" his lover chuckled breathlessly and then shuddered and his muscles spasmed around T'senri's dick… and he couldn't help but simply burst, whimpering as he came so hard his sight went out, gasping desperately as fell down against his mate's back, pinning him down into the nest again. Rolling his hips with a slight mewls of bliss as his body shook in the aftershocks and his cock jerked and spilled into that incredible heat, he covered his mate's shoulders with grateful bites, purring his pleasure near-deafeningly. "Every single side and facet of you…" Raha whispered and he barely heard it over his heartbeat, yet still he grinned involuntarily, nuzzling against his neck. "…I learned… I still learn… I love you, Snark… then, now and forever…" he trailed off with a blissed-out out sigh.
"Forever," he agreed easily, even if his mate didn't know yet how literal it was. He grimaced slightly, happy that his lover couldn't see his expression right now. He did hate hiding things from his mate… but he promised… And soon, maybe he can tell him that they were in fact going to be together for the rest of eternity… and he'll spend it making up to him this secret.
He relaxed, then rolled of him and resting on his side, pulled Raha against his chest, happily nuzzling against his messy hair while his lover smoothed his hand over his forearm over his shoulders.
"What now…?" T'senri whispered after a moment against his mate's ear. "You're still okay…after last night?"
"Mhmm, better than okay," Raha sighed, curling his hand around Warrior's wrist. "You can stop worrying, my beast. I'm truly fine… no guilt whatsoever, I swear."
"Good," he muttered, clearing his throat as his inner beast nearly… cooed its approval. Sharing a hunt with his lover felt beyond… intoxicating. Not to mention Raha's skills – and Damon's talents – made it sooo easy to get rid of any evidence and brought his creativity up to new heights. Tearing those monsters to pieces… was beyond satisfying – but most of all… the biggest part of him enjoyed having his… playmate along. And maybe… he kind of hoped that the next time… his mate would like to join in again. He used to think that his lover was too… kind and sweet for it – forgiving too easily, which he more than loved about him. Adored it, truly. But…
"I get it now," his mate whispered, treading his fingers into T'senri's palm on intertwining them with his. "I never scorned your hunger, Snark… But I think, I finally truly get it… Your kind of equilibrium, my beast… Getting rid of the monsters that pray on the vulnerable… Next time you go out… I think, I would like to play with you, Senri."
"Are you… sure?" he whispered against his ear, tightening his arms around him even as his heart simply… sang in its deafeningly sweet song. "Raha… I love your kindness, your soul's… pureness. I don't want you to…"
"And your soul is as pure, if not more," his mate cut him off, tightening his fingers around his. "This… What you yearn for, Snark… It's not wrong, no matter what others may think. Sometimes… as we already saw so many, many times… the law, custom and traditions simply fail. What happened with that tribe… should have been never allowed in the first place. Diva, Maran, others like them… Those who use, abuse and deny others' freedoms and feelings… must be stopped. Because we both know, Snark, there's plenty of those and they will never stop on their own. Some, maybe can change… but how many innocents must be harmed before that?" he sighed tiredly, then shifted in his embrace to rest on his back and look in his eyes with such enticing fire in crimson irises. "Senri… I'm done being a victim. Whole this time… a part of me believed that it – all of it, being abounded and the abuse I experienced later – was my fault. That letting them use me… was my fate, because somehow I talked myself into believing that I deserved that… And how many others kids like that is there…? Or like Jalla… drugged and raped for other's sick ambition. So many… who's only crime so often is simply catching the wrong attention… and the thought alone, makes me sick to my stomach, Senri. So if thanks to Damon's skills and anything else I can offer you, I can help… I want to, because what you are doing… It's better, Snark, than doing nothing. Hoping that fate somehow evens out the scales… when so often, it doesn't. And that… that I'm really sick of the most," he turned around and wrapped his arm around T'senri's waist, resting his forehead against his collarbone. "So… if I can, I want to join you, my beast, in making it right… because if it can spare even one another innocent soul's suffering… I need to do that."
"It'll be my pleasure, Raha," he admitted, nipping on his ear as he wrapped his arms around him possessively while his beast purred with bliss. Truly… ever his perfect match, his mate… in every single aspect.
And – predictably – he fell for him all over again… just like that, Raha in mere words claiming every single bit and piece of his soul… like he always did.