Mandatory reading going forward:
- Party Perils
- Valentione's Mischief
Two years later
When the sun slowly lowered behind the horizon, beautifully illuminating the waves, Raha found himself drawn out of the cabin in search of his lover. Following the gentle hum of their connection, he wasn't surprised to find his man leaning against the railing at the front of the small ship – expression distant and one of the booted feet tapping against the planks of the deck in the rhythm of a song he only vaguely recognized.
Stopping himself a few steps behind for a moment, the redhead simply stared, like always downright mesmerized by his Warrior's uncanny beauty. Like this able to see only his profile, Senri seemed lost in thought, ice-blue eyes narrowed toward the direction the sun disappeared behind. Leaning forward on arms resting wide apart on the bar of the railing before him, Raha couldn't resist admiring the mastery of the new outfit – Tataru's make – with the way its long coat snuggly hugged his husband's broad shoulders.
Senri's now slightly too long ink-black hair was brushed back from his face, damp from the breeze created by the waves crashing against the sides of the boat. Cat-like ears, covered in a fur of the exact same shade of black, nearly got lost among the inky strands, only their occasional twitches making one able to discern them. Long, slightly puffy tail swiveled slowly behind the Warrior in a rhythm matching one of the slow taps of his heel, and Raha smiled as his over-sensitive ears picked up the low hum of his lover's voice.
Though in the same rhythm, Senri's naturally deep voice sounded like purring – not very surprisingly sending a very pleasant shiver down the redhead's spine. He felt his own tail curl with interest and his cheeks warm despite the cool feeling of the breeze.
He always thought Senri's voice was one of his greatest weaknesses – and since he discovered his lover's undeniable talent for singing... Well, a few things got him as hot and bothered instantly as hearing the various ways his man tended to drive him mad with it.
A very, very few who knew his gorgeous male for his usually cheerful grin were aware that it was a mere mask hiding his more... vicious tendencies. Many of his lover's admirers would be perhaps shocked to find out that under that beautiful and adorably goofy grin of his – he honestly adored – his Senri was a downright domineering beast. And Raha always had a real weakness for the idea of being the only one who really knew – and understood – all of the facets of his Warrior's personality.
Creature of instinct, his Ancient – Damon – would call Senri with a really fond tone, like his reincarnation endlessly fascinated by his various dichotomies. And with Senri's extreme proficiency at keeping up his image – his mask – a very few things betrayed that truth as often as his deep voice.
Raha loved learning all of the subtle differences in the deep, rumbly sound. His naturally keen hearing, typical for Miqo'te – magnified by his circumstances – let him now revel in the for him obvious contentment tinting his lover's humming.
If nothing else, he thought with an involuntary smile pulling at the corners of his lips, this trip was worth it for that alone.
...and not like we didn't earn a time off, either.
An invitation from Tuliyollal, the city of the New World, was a surprise by itself, but no matter what awaited them upon arrival... Raha – personally – was invested in making sure his lover took that time as the vacation it was promised to be. He knew better than anyone that people around them had an annoying tendency to require too much of his mate's generous nature, and due to his enormous heart, Senri was prone to land in all manner of troubles on others' behalf.
Using the fact they were alone – with their companions likely busy below deck – and Senri's apparent distraction, Raha made sure to keep his step light and soundless while crossing the space between them. His effort was rewarded with a slight flinch of surprise and the hilarious way his lover's tail shot up when he brushed his hand down Senri's spine.
Smirking when he rested his hand on the railing beside Senri's, he cocked one of his dark red eyebrows playfully when his mate laughed sheepishly, turning sideways and looking down at him with an enamored grin that – like always – sent his heart aflutter.
„You got me again," Senri drawled, then without a care moved – forcing him to lean back against the railing – to now lean against the railing around him. Unnaturally tall for their race, Senri towered over him, so he had to move slightly back to lean in to bury his nose against Raha's throat. He took a deep breath of his lover's sweet, apple-like scent, and used the fact that Senri's coat was open to brush his left hand down the front of the white shirt underneath it while the fingers of his right hand found their way into the soft, black strands at the back of his husband's head.
„You seemed distracted," Raha said with amusement, setting a fond kiss at the sharp edge of his lover's jaw and smiled when Senri purred, nuzzling against the junction of his neck and shoulder. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of his lover's pants, tugging meaningfully, and his heartbeat spiked when that gesture was promptly answered with a much deeper sound of a growl that vibrated on his skin. Quite hoping others will stay below deck for time being, he bit back a gasp when Senri – to make up for their height difference, no doubt – dropped his hands from the railing and picked him up without effort. Still, sat on top of the railing, he gladly parted his legs to accommodate his tall lover between them, his snicker swallowed down by his mate's almost too-pretty lips. „Behave, beast," he managed with a breathless groan when they parted after a moment, not surprised when it was answered with a deep, playful growl.
He loved the gorgeous contrast of jet-black lashes surrounding the pale blue of Senri's feline eyes, nearly as much as the sight of mix of humor and desire in their depth. His lover's big hands keeping him secure atop the railing, the Warrior gave him a downright arrogant smirk as he pushed his hips deeper between Raha's legs. Those ice-like eyes darkened with lust when he didn't even bother to stifle a moan that slipped his lips with the heat and pressure against his aroused flesh. Senri's left hand moved off his hip to curl possessively around his buttock, keeping him in place as he slowly rolled his hips to elect another breathless sound.
„...why?" he rumbled barely above breath, then leaned in and brushed his lips against Raha's overheated cheek. „When you so clearly enjoy it, my prince?"
He chuckled self-consciously, tightening his knees around Senri's sides while his right hand – still buried in the ink-black strands – curled into fist. Tilting his head to grant him access while his lover growled a soft warning and his lips trailed across his jaw, he wasn't a hypocrite to deny his mate's claim.
By now, they both knew that he had... a weakness for the idea of exposure – and Senri had very little scruples to use it to rile him up. He bit his lips to stifle a moan while his lover's rough tongue tracked the line of his Archon mark... and another when Senri – arriving at the junction of his neck and shoulder – rumbled on an aggressive sound and then bit him. Feeling the too-pronounced fangs break his skin, he whimpered at the sensation. Roughly clenching his hand in Senri's hair, the other shakily and impatiently tugged his lover's shirt open, delighting in the feeling of the smooth, heated skin beneath.
Then, because he knew all of his mate's kinks like no one else, he pushed the materials off his lover's shoulder, revealing Senri's mark. Purring as he dragged his tongue over it, he enjoyed his mate's shiver. And when he uttered a low, pleading whine into his skin, Raha complied gladly, sinking his teeth – hard – into the matching them scar marring his lover's beautifully pale skin. And – predictably – his ears lowered against his head in bliss at the sound of Senri's deep, aggressive snarl. The muscles under his left palm bunched, trembling, as his hand drifted down between them, soon pushing under the material covering his lover's groin.
Pulling back from his bite, Raha dragged his tongue over the line of Senri's jaw at the same time as his fingers curled with undeniable ownership around his lover's dick. He smirked against his cheek when his aggression evaporated instantly, and Senri moaned weakly, rutting in his grip. Soon spreading soft, affectionate bites over his throat and shoulder, his mate purred his name between more intoxicating, pleading sounds.
„Mmm," he hummed with delight, nuzzling his cheek against Senri's, his ears up and eager to eat up more of his sounds. „You're such a good boy, Snark," he growled softly and was rewarded with his personal favorite: deep, hoarse mewl-purr of his name. If he was weak for exposure, his Senri had a real kink for his praises... evident in the way his massive frame shuddered and in the deeper rumble of his more submissive purrs. Squeezing his fingers tighter around the engorged flesh, he shuddered at the sound of Senri's whine, then sighed and pressed his lips against his mate's heated cheek. „I could have you right now, hm?" he said teasingly and laughed softly when Senri nodded eagerly, purring louder and nuzzling against his shoulder. „My gorgeous, shameless beast," he replied with praise, grinning involuntarily when that made his mate moan and rut harder into his grip.
And he was tempted... really, really fucking tempted... but instead, he softened his grip, cooing soothingly before he pulled his hand back. Setting both around his husband's painfully beautiful face, he initiated a softer, tender kiss that soon had his beast melt into a delightful mess of dizzy expression and even softer, content purrs that put a lovesick grin on Raha's lips when they pulled apart.
„Tease," Senri accused, closing his eyes and setting his forehead against the redhead's.
„Sometimes," he hummed agreeably, chuckling at his lover's petulant grumble. „Your own fault for being so easy to tease, my adorable Snark," he purposefully said that with an overly sweet tone, and his grin grew wider when Senri snorted.
„Adorable?" he snarked, and Raha put on a serious expression leaning back just to nod sagely when the jet-black lashes revealed that deadpan gaze matching the tone.
„Cuuute," he drawled with another serious nod and bit his lip not to snicker at the sight of his lover's beautiful face crunching into a petulant scowl. „Oh... and now you look so much like Hades!" he chirped and this time didn't manage to stop the snort of laughter when Senri blinked, then pouted.
„I do not," his lover grumbled, and Raha snickered when Damon – conspicuously silent today – laughed in the back of their shared head. Senri rolled his eyes with a long-suffering exhale but then wrapped his arms tight around Raha's lower back, burying his nose against his shoulder. Still grinning, the redhead wrapped his in turn around his lover's neck, tightening his thighs into a vice around Senri's hips.
„So... What you were thinking about?" he breathed beside his lover's cheek and smiled when Senri hummed with distraction. „When I surprised you, Snark. What had you so distracted, love?"
„Just... eh, I'm looking toward our next adventure, that's all," his husband said somewhat self-consciously, and Raha couldn't help but grin.
„Me too," he admitted easily, running his fingers through the soft hair at the back of Senri's head. „I'm especially excited to see you put all that training to use, my Viper," he stated hauntingly and grinned wider when Senri snorted, then leaned away with a chuckle.
„Still sore I finally whooped your butt, Raha?" he wiggled his dark eyebrows playfully, and Raha purposefully pouted. That match was the talk of their household for a while now – with the Ancient part of their family finding the hissing fit he threw afterward beyond hilarious. Over eons never witnessing Damon's... tantrums, as Ares called it, they were in equal measures as baffled as amused when... well, Senri, who picked up a new class in secret from him, downright... yeah, whooped his ass. They, of course, didn't really know that half of it was his Ancient indignation at Ares keeping it – Senri's training – hush-hush from his brilliant husband.
„It was simply an element of surprise working for your advantage," he stated, raising his nose hauntingly, and his lover's beam was worth the effort of not snorting at Damon's grumbling something incoherent at the reminder.
„Keep telling yourself that, babe," Senri nodded sagely, then brushed his lips against his cheek. „I have evidence that I did, indeed, beat you completely!"
He rolled his eyes and sighed when Senri snickered. Hythlodaeus had a wild day with the whole thing. Coaxing Themis to draw the reenactment of their sparring session, the violet-haired immortal animated the end result, and the moving images took the... well-displayed place at the ground level of their house. Making the four kits snicker and giggle whenever they passed by it, to boot!
...yeah, living with Ancients sometimes came with unexpected challenges. Especially when Hades, with uncommonly mean sort of amusement, complied with his lover's request to make the removal of their... art impossible. So, of course, all of their family and friends could constantly admire the 'show.' Including Rahm, who, after he laughed his ass off – obviously – challenged Senri to a duel to see which of their classes was now superior.
Rahm, excelling at Dark Knight training – with some added quirks from his circumstances – fought valiantly... but being younger and less experienced, worked to his detriment. Not to mention that he didn't have the... benefit of witnessing Senri spar seriously against an equal opponent – which was actually a compliment by itself.
...still, despite the initial shock at the vicious tendencies of the older Warrior, Raha reluctantly admitted that he fared much better than expected, nearly instantly turning no less aggressive and underhanded. It was nearly a tie... and even more reluctantly, he knew Rahm was much more... easy-going about losing. He didn't even mind – laughing the loudest – when Damon petulant insisted on putting on another animated reenactment besides the previous one.
„Har har," he deadpanned with another roll of his eyes and couldn't resist a grin when Senri beamed at him again.
That's how Alisaie found them a moment later, both grinning at each other like fools, and her eye roll was potent when she leaned her hip against the railing beside them.
„You're ridiculous," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
„Just excited, Firecracker," Senri winked at her, and despite her tone, when Raha looked at her, Alisaie's blue eyes lit up with humor... and something more.
Perhaps, like him, she was glad to see her best friend for once excited about upcoming adventures. Leaning his cheek against Senri's shoulder, he caught her gaze, and he saw confirmation of that guess in a flicker of grateful light filling her eyes. Uneccesery, as no one more than him was completely and utterly smitten with Senri's evident enthusiasm.
Whatever comes of it, they'll face it together – like anything else going forward – and he couldn't help the excitement bubbling at the idea!
Leaving Raha and Alisaie chatting animatedly beside the railing, Senri headed below deck. Waving toward their companions gathered in the biggest area there, he turned into the slim corridor leading toward the few cabins on board. He was glad that none of them decided to follow him. Especially when right past the slightly too low for him threshold, he swayed and had to brace against one of the wooden walls for a moment.
Senri, his immortal passenger chimed in instantly in a warning tone. He shook his head, smiling sheepishly at the frowning sailor who headed toward him from the opposite side of the corridor.
"Too hard drink," he lied in a way of explanation and the man relaxed instantly, smirking at his expanse. Senri passed him, directing his slightly swaying step toward the cabin he paid a relative fortune for. But no matter how fun it ended up being, he had his reasons to refuse repeating the experience of traveling to Old Sharlayan.
One of these reasons being what made him sigh with relief once he found himself in the cabin. Why he leaned heavily against the closed door and took a few deep breaths to collect himself.
That being, he refused to ruin this trip for Raha. Especially after he whined for days and weeks to get his dutiful lover to abandon his initial decision to stay behind. Senri was determined to make this trip special and a real vacation his husband deserved... and not let an increasingly annoying bouts of nausea ruin it!
Addmitedly, Wuk Lamat - contender to Tulliyollal throne who hired him - was making it easy to pretend he was alright. She whined so much about the seasickness, others hardly paid mind to his less-than-usual enthusiasm. Plus, Senri always knew that he was extremely proficient at playing to whatever persona he wanted. So far, the hardest part was keeping Raha unaware and Ares cooperating.
Only because you swore you'd tell him if it doesn't pass by the time you arrive, my boy, Ares grumbled and Senri smiled weakly in answer. You were never before bothered by seasickness, Senri.
"There's always a first time for everything," he whispered under his nose and then exhaled deeply. "If this one, I could do without," he complained and then pushed away from the door. Tossing his jacket and shirt aside, he settled on the edge of the bed mounted into the wall and buried his head in his hands with a groan.
Without a mirror anywhere in sight, neither he nor his passenger could see the way the tips of his black hair grayed, then turned white. Ares, separated from him in a mad bid to save his lover during Meteion's attack, could not feel the way Senri's aether swelled and then as swiftly drained. And Raha, and his respective immortal, compelled to not notice anything out of norm about him didn't notice the fluctuation, either.
Not yet.
