The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

(lol it doesn’t have to be a Real Thing if you don’t want it to be, could just be a running joke)

Arquis beamed, his smile betraying his relief. “As long as it was a good surprise, then I suppose there was no harm done. Well. Maybe a little harm. I did bite you, after all.” He tilted his head out of curiosity. “Are you alright? You look a tad flushed.”

If it was necessary, he was sure he could find some way to open the windows to the carriage. The last thing he wanted was for Rin to overheat.

“If you are warm, then you could remove a layer,” he said, gesturing to his coat, which was spread across the floor.

(lmao i mean idc, it might be a real thing)

He cleared his throat faintly, shedding his own jacket. His shirt was not sticking to his skin like Arquis's, but due to the nature of the collar, it fell open a bit, showing their collarbones and a touch of their upper chest. "There we are. Now we are in…similar states of undress."

(fair, fair)

“Oh.” That was all he could think to say. His mouth opened and closed several times more, but nothing came out. How could he focus on forming coherent sentences when presented with such a visual? He had to tear his gaze away and direct it downwards to avoid tracing their figure. Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Those collarbones. Those damned collarbones.

“Goodness. I, um, well. Goodness.” He glanced back up and regretted it. Their hair had been tousled from his fingers. He let out a flustered breath and looked away again, suddenly feeling shy.

Rin let out a quiet laugh, leaning his head against Arquis's shoulder and closing his eyes for just a moment. "Mmhm." they let out a faint hum. "You don't need to be so flustered about it, I'm still dressed, darling." a smirk played around their mouth, and they opened their eyes, looking up at him.

Arquis’s eyes darted from their smirk to his exposed sliver of chest. His breath hitched as he imagined more. He pictured them fully shirtless, skin damp from rain or sweat or the sea, and had to hide his face in his palms. The rough fabric of his gloves scraped the bridge of his nose, but they provided a shield. Or so he thought. The second his vision was obscured, images of them flashed through the darkness.

“It is incredibly unfair. You look-” He flailed a hand helplessly. “You look enticing, even when dressed.”

And the pet name: darling. Oh, he could get used to that. They had a lovely way of saying it that sent shivers running through him.

He snickered very faintly, reaching up to run his fingers through Arquis's hair again. "Ah, I see, I see. The wicked Kevran bard seducing the nobleman, is that how this is going?" they asked, laughing again. That smirk was still playing over their face, and they were still leaning against Arquis.

Arquis shivered again at the sight of that smirk. He lifted his arm, entwined his fingers with theirs, and brought them down to his lips. With all of the poise of a true gentleman, he kissed his hand, letting one of his canines scrape lightly against their skin.

”I am not sure,” he breathed, letting his forehead drop against their arm, “that you are the wicked one, love.” He truly hadn’t meant to add that last part. It had slipped out in the moment.

A faint breath left Rin at the scrape of Arquis's tooth against his skin. "Ah…well. Perhaps not." They conceded, leaning down to pres a kiss to the top of Arquis's head. "Does that mean you are the wicked Anvillean nobleman, seducing the poor innocent bard?" He asked, laughing quietly.

Arquis smiled and continued to nuzzle against their arm. When he looked up at him, his eyes were half-lidded, and his lips were slightly swollen.

“Well, that depends—is it working?” he teased back, pressing a series of small, quick kisses up his wrist. He lingered over their pulse point.

Rin's eyes flickered shut. "Mm…yes." they said softly. "Working quite well, I would say." He swallowed faintly at the way Arquis lingered over his pulse point, tongue flicking out to lick his lips. "I am quite worried that my presence has managed to corrupt you, Arquis." Their voice was soft and teasing.

“Worried?” Arquis laughed, and then, eyebrows raised, playfully nipped at that spot on their wrist. He watched their reaction as he kissed over it afterwards. When he finally lifted his head again, he was breathing a bit heavily. “Is excited not a more suitable word?”

The problem from the morning arose again. He wanted to go further, but he was honestly too exhausted from the panicked fit. He nuzzled into his arm again, hoping that that would be enough.

He let out a faint hum at the nip, leaning down to press a kiss to Arquis's cheek. "Mm, about corrupting you? I am not sure." they replied, laughing softly and pulling Arquis closer. They would go as far as Arquis wanted to go, and no furhter; they had no wish to take advantage of him in any way.

It was as if a switch had been flipped. Suddenly, he was the nervous, stammering young man from earlier, enchanted by their good looks and proximity. He cuddled up against him with a content sigh and planted a kiss on their neck. For a second he considered going lower; picturing the noises they’d make almost made him do it. But he ultimately decided to stay where he was, happy to be in their embrace.

“Rin? I do not want to be a bother, but do you think you could sing something?” He kissed them again, this time just below one of their ears. “I would love to hear your voice again. It is beautiful.”

They loved all the soft kisses that Arquis was giving him. They really did. They loved the soft, casual affection. "Of course I can. Right now?" They asked, still holding onto Arquis and keeping the nobleman close. "Or later?" He closed his eyes, happy and content.

“Whenever you so desire,” he responded. The peaceful look on their face made his heart soar. He let out a low rumble of a laugh and continued the kissing, this time delivering a super gentle one on each of his eyelids. They deserved to be spoiled with sweetness and caresses. Someday, if or when they did go all the way, he would absolutely dote on him.

That gave him an idea. He tugged them closer and leant against one of the seats. Then, he took his coat and spread it out over the two of them like a blanket. It was wonderfully cozy.

He leaned into Arquis, snuggling closer under the coat. "Now, then." They took a breath, thinking for a moment, then began to sing quietly. The song was in Kevran, not Anvillean, and the tune was low and sweet, almost reverent. Their eyes were closed still as they sang. This song was one they knew by heart, and he loved to sing it.

The music had a transformative effect on Arquis. For the first time since the party, when he’d listened to them perform, he relaxed completely. There was no tension in his brow nor stiffness in his spine. It was as if he’d been holding the weight of the world for years and had just been granted the chance to set it down.

He didn’t know the words the song—he’d studied some of the Kevran language, but wasn’t perfectly fluent in it—but that didn’t really matter. All he cared about was their voice. He was no poet, but it was more stunning than spun gold. He’d even describe it as hypnotic.

Rin continued to sing. The song did eventually draw to a close, though, and he fell quiet. "How was that?" They asked softly, holding onto Arquis and letting out a soft breath. "I know you probably didn't understand it, but, ah…that's fine." He bit his lip very faintly.

“I cannot describe how beautiful that sounded, love,” Arquis murmured after a pause. It had taken him a second to pull himself out of his calm state, which had felt almost meditative. Somehow, they’d gotten switched around so that he was the big spoon. He didn’t mind it one bit. Having them tucked away in his arms was a divine experience. He gave them a gentle squeeze and buried his face in his hair.

“You could sing a million songs and I would not tire of your voice. It is mesmerizing. You, Rin, are mesmerizing.”

"Thanks." They said softly, pressing their face to the crook of his neck. "I enjoy singing." He sighed very faintly, pressing closer to Arquis and leaching off of the nobleman's heat. They enjoyed being the little spoon just as much as when he was the big spoon, so this was just as nice for them as when they were the one holding Arquis. "It's nice to have an appreciative audience."

The feeling of their face against his neck made him tremble slightly. He could feel his lips against his skin, and when they sighed it actually made him gasp. He’d never known that he was sensitive there. He dropped another kiss on the top of their head and rubbed their shoulder.

“I am very grateful,” he mumbled in agreement, wondering if he sounded as smitten as he felt.

He hummed a little bit, pressing a kiss to the soft skin of Arquis's throat. "Good. I'm grateful to have such a wonderful, amazing audience." they replied, smiling a little bit and pressing closer to Arquis, sighing very softly. "I really am, Arquis. You are…you are quite wonderful, in all ways that that word can be interpreted."

“Rin,” Arquis started, voice rather choked, “you are being rather sweet right now, and I appreciate it. But I must say that the, ah, neck thing- my neck is a little-”

Every time they touched or kissed them there, it felt like he’d been shocked. In a good way, of course; it made him feel light and a tad tingly. But he was worried that too much of it might be overwhelming, and he wasn’t sure how he’d react.

(heading to bed soon, so goodnight and Merry Christmas if you celebrate, happy holidays if you don't!)

Rin paused, pulling back a little. "Sensitive?" they asked. Not in a teasing way, just in a soft, knowing way. "Everyone's is. I'll stop, if you need me to." he hummed a little bit, settling his cheek on Arquis's shoulder, so that his mouth was no longer pressed to Arquis's skin.

(alright! and I do! merry Christmas if you celebrate it, too, and if not then a very happy holidays to you as well!)

“Yes. Sensitive. Very sensitive. I was not aware that certain spots were truly like that in reality. I had always imagined that novels dramatized them, but now I must say that I am a tad curious.” Arquis laughed and kissed them above one of his eyebrows. “Thank you, however, for being so respectful. You are very sweet.”

He draped one of his arms around them and cupped the small of their back, guiding them even closer together. He was extremely glad that no one had gotten into the carriage with them. They couldn’t be having such a nice moment together if there were other people in the same space.

(I do! Thanks!)

He hummed a little bit. "It's not a problem to respect your needs." they replied softly, content to snuggle closer to Arquis and press close to him here, in their carriage. "And if sensitive spots are a curiosity for you, we can explore those at the hotel, in…whatever capacity you desire." whether that was sexual, or just a more heavy make-out session, either sounded lovely to Rin, but only if Arquis wanted to.

“I might have to take you up on that offer,” Arquis said, a smile playing on his lips. He stroked a hand down the curve of their back. They were in nice shape from traveling. He could feel a bit of muscle through his shirt, and it made some of the shirtless images from earlier race through his head. But he pushed those thoughts aside. It wasn’t the right day for them. He was enjoying all of the intimacy, but he just couldn’t handle anything more intense.

After a long moment of peaceful silence filled only with breathing and the sound of wheels on cobblestone, he murmured, “I would offer to sing for you, but I am afraid my voice is not nearly as nice as yours. It would not be very soothing.”

They nodded slightly, sitting quietly until Arquis spoke again. "I see." they said softly. "If you desire to sing, then I shall listen. I don't mind if your voice is not the same as mine; it's perfectly understandable that we would not be the same." they kissed his cheek softly, snuggling close again and closing their eyes.

“That is alright. I will be merciful and refrain,” Arquis joked, giving him another soft squeeze on the shoulder. He let his lips brush over a spot on their temple and smiled when he saw that their eyes had closed. “Are you still tired, love? Would you like to rest? I could wake you when the carriage stops for our transfer.”

They laughed a little, shrugging their shoulders and opening his eyes to look up at Arquis. "Oh, no, I do not need to sleep." they replied softly. "I am perfectly fine." to tell the truth, he was feeling drowsy, but they did not want to simply go to sleep and leave Arquis alone.