The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Arquis nodded and followed them in. He froze almost immediately. His hand flopped from theirs to his side.

“Oh my goodness.”

The headboard of the king sized bed was in the shape of a large red heart, and the thick, fluffy comforter was strewn with flower petals. A hint of pearly satin sheets poked out here and there. They matched the large welcome basket on the bed, which was bursting with items like wine and decadent chocolates. Trying not to laugh, Arquis walked over and plucked out what he thought was a scarf. It was actually a blindfold. He set it down immediately, unable to hide his embarrassed grin, and looked around the rest of the room.

The desk Lovey had mentioned was a faux antique. He set his suitcases down next to it. The brochure was there, along with a key to their bathroom. He opened it and was surprised to find a large tub surrounded by a wild amount of bottles of bubble bath. There was another small gift basket by the sink that had lotions. That actually made him laugh.

“Goodness,” he repeated, joining Rin in the bedroom. He nudged off his shoes and let himself sink into the super soft carpet. “This place is rather, um- well. It is rather interesting, is it not?”

Rin snickered at the sight of the blindfold, taking off his shoes and setting down his luggage. "I don't think I would be surprised if we found some lube and sex toys hiding in some of these drawers." he remarked, laughing as they looked over at Arquis. "It would match the theming of the rest of the room."

Arquis had gone rather red in the face from both laughter and mortification. “I am not sure I could handle that,” he said, “though the chocolates and flowers are quite a nice gesture. A bit much, but still very romantic.”

He returned to the main welcome basket on the bed and searched through it. There were quite a few interesting items that he instantly pushed to the side, but he was also surprised to see some practical objects. Sachets for clothes, two masks to wear in the lobby for privacy, and fluffy house shoes due to the cold weather. Not that it was actually that cold inside; the heating was on, and it warmed up the entire room.

“I am craving a bath,” he announced, setting the basket aside. His lungs had given him a bit of trouble on the walk. Steam and hot water would help. Plus, he hadn’t bathed in a little while, and he was started to feel rather unkempt.

Rin snickered quietly, coming over to peek through the basket as well. "Go take a bath, then." he said, giving Arquis a quick, soft smile. "Go on. I'll take one after you. Unless you'd like to take one together?" he arched an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. He knew it would only make Arquis go red and flustered again, and it amused them to know they could do that to him so easily.

Arquis made a small, shocked sound and went still. Then, he rubbed his arm awkwardly. “That is, um, certainly an option. Would it- would we have to, ah- would we have to do anything? If you were to join me. Or could it just be- never mind. I just thought, well, it might be nice, but I do not- I believe you were joking, and I-”

He hung his head, crossed his arms, and sighed. What was he doing? Why did he have such a difficult time speaking around him sometimes?

He reached out to gently touch Arquis's arm. "I was mostly teasing. If I did join you, we would not have to do anything you do not want to do." they said softly, sensing that maybe he needed to clarify things. "It can be whatever you want it to be, Arquis." he smiled a little bit.

“Would- would you like to? Join me, I mean. Even if we did not, um, do anything.” He looked at them once more, his eyes hopeful yet slightly anxious, and bit his bottom lip. “I would not be fully undressed. You would not have to be, either. Does that sound strange? I apologize if it does, I just- I thought it might be lovely to hold you, but I realize that this whole thing might sound incredibly odd, and it might seem as if I have an ulterior motive, which I do not, but, um, I… I just…”

Rin smiled again. "Yes, I would love to." he kept his hand resting lightly on Arquis's arm. After a moment, his smile turned mischievous again. "Plus it keeps me from poking through all the drawers looking for the lube and toys." he teased, laughing as he looked up at Arquis.

“Well, if you so desire, you can start that search tonight,” Arquis replied, smiling uncontrollably, still uncomfortably hot in the face.

He went into the bathroom and studied the bathtub again. It was large enough for three or four people and, unlike many of the tubs he’d seen, was set completely on the ground. He supposed it was more like a hot tub than a traditional bath. He lowered himself onto the edge and reached for the rose gold tap. When he rotated the knob for warm water, the tub began to fill. He added jasmine bubble bath until there was a decent amount of foam, then switched off the faucet and returned to the bedroom.

Rin laughed again, going over to his bag to grab a pair of boxer briefs to wear in the bath; he doubted Arquis wanted to see what was between their legs right now, and they didn't have any swim trunks to wear, so these would have to do the trick. He also grabbed one of the bathrobes that the hotel had provided, holding onto that to wear after the bath.

While Rin was picking out their clothes, Arquis ducked back into the bathroom to change. He ended up wearing an oversized, plain black shirt that went just below his waist and a pair of dark gray boxers. He passed by the mirror to put his necklace on the sink and grimaced at his reflection. It would be weird to bathe with gloves on, wouldn’t it? They came off easily, as did the bandages underneath. He stood there for a moment, staring at his scarred hands.

It would be alright. He’d barely see them. They’d be under a thick layer of bubbles for the majority of the time. He wouldn’t panic over them. He wouldn’t. Not here. Not now.

He forced himself to turn away and walked to the bath. “Rin, are you ready?” he called softly.

Rin had changed into the boxers, throwing the bathrobe on over top. He came into the bathroom, giving Arquis a quick smile. "Ready." his gaze flickered over what Arquis was wearing, and he paused. "Do you want me to put a shirt on as well?" they did not want to make Arquis uncomfortable, and they would put on a shirt if Arquis wanted or needed them to.

“Oh, no,” Arquis assured them, “you do not have to unless you wish to. I am just… uncomfortable with, ah, the state of…” He gestured at himself with a sigh, then remembered his hands were uncovered and folded them together.

The bathroom was quiet. Arquis sat himself on the edge of the tub and dipped his legs into the water. It was the perfect temperature. He inhaled deeply, loving the way the steam soothed his lungs. Then, with a small smile, he finally slid into the bath. Instantly, he was overwhelmed by bubbles, and he laughed as he emerged.

“I think I put too much of that in,” he admitted.

Rin nodded faintly, taking off the bathrobe and hanging it up, then joining Arquis in the bath with a laugh. "Yeah, you might have, but it's nice." he replied, scooping up some bubbles in his hands, and then blowing on them, sneding tiny bubbles floating into the air.

Arquis grinned and promptly choked on a bubble. It took him several seconds to recover, and when he did, he couldn’t stop laughing. He formed a lumpy snowball out of the soap and tossed it towards Rin. It fell as soon as it was out of his hand.

“Goodness,” he began, about to crack a joke, and then stopped. His gaze had landed on Rin; he couldn’t stop looking. There was a bead of water rolling down their neck. He watched it as it slid down his shoulder.

Rin laughed again at the failed attempt at a bubble ball, smiling over at Arquis. At the way Arquis was staring, they blinked. "What? Is there something on my face or something?" They asked, using a small bucket to dump water over their head so that they could wash their hair.

“No, it is nothing,” Arquis mumbled in response, exhaling unsteadily. His eyes continued to travel over him. When they poured the water out, his breath hitched, and he drank in their wet hair and skin. It was such a pity that he was so far away.

Eventually, he shook his head and awkwardly grabbed for the first object in sight: a container of caramel-scented soap. He worked it into a lather and began to comb it through his black hair. The pressure of his fingertips on his scalp felt nice; he didn’t mind for once that he wasn’t wearing gloves. To rinse it out, he turned on the tap and tilted his head back, exposing his neck completely.

Rin's gaze fell on Arquis, pupils expanding faintly as he watched Arquis rinse himself off. The desire to take advantage of Arquis's exposed throat proved to be rather too much for the bard to handle, and he shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Arquis's waist and pressing his mouth to the nobleman's throat.

The feeling of sudden contact made Arquis jolt, and he immediately flattened himself against the edge of the tub. When he saw who it was, he relaxed, giving Rin a soft smile.

“You startled me,” he murmured. He lightly ran his hand down to the small of their back and pulled them closer once more. His other hand went to his own neck, and he teasingly brushed stray suds from it. “Could not resist, hm?”

Rin laughed a little bit, pressing his face to the crook of Arquis's neck, shivering very faintly at the stroke of Arquis's hand down their back. "No." he said simply. "I could not. The opportunity was far too tempting, darling." he laughed again, keeping his arm wrapped around Arquis's waist.

Arquis shuddered once at the sensation on his neck and again at the pet name. Darling. He never thought he’d get to be someone’s darling, but it sounded so good coming out of their mouth.

“I understand feeling tempted,” he whispered, looking down at them. There were too many bubbles to see much of anything below the water; he almost kicked himself for putting them in. Then again, he likely would’ve died on the spot if he saw him shirtless right then and there. He planted a kiss on the top of their head and sighed quietly.

Rin nipped lightly before pulling away again so that they could meet Arquis's gaze, smiling at him again. "You feeling alright?" they asked, keeping their arm wrapped around Arquis. They knew the encounter with the man earlier had shaken him, and they had also noticed that Arquis was not wearing his gloves as he usually did.

The nip made him gasp softly, though the sound was louder in the tiled room. He placed his knuckles under their chin, propping up his head, and swept his thumb down the line of their jaw.

“I am wonderful.” And he was, truly. The hot water and lovely company had put him in a fantastic mood. All of the flirting and contact didn’t hurt, either, which was a pleasant surprise. He thought it would’ve been too much, but perhaps he was beginning to adjust. It was even enough to make him forget the state of his hands, which he normally would’ve been insecure about.

He tucked a strand of their wet hair behind his ear. “How about you? What are you feeling, love?”

He nodded slightly. "Good. I am well, thank you." he said in a soft tone, leaning faintly into the hand that brushed against the side of his head. They had always loved contact, always been a sucker for petting and touching; Lysander had abused that desire for physical contact, enough that sometimes it was hard for them, some nights. They would crave contact and yet flinch when anyone came close.

“Are you positive that you are well?” Arquis asked gently. Something in their disposition had changed, though he couldn’t identify it. All he knew was that it worried him. He pulled away and smiled warmly at him. “If this was a poor idea, Rin, then say the word. I will not be upset. Just let me know what you need and I will assist you.”

He shook his head quickly. "Nothing, I just got stuck in my head for a moment. I'm fine." he replied, giving Arquis a quick, faint smile. "Just…yeah. It's nothing, truly, but thank you for your concern."

“If you are sure,” Arquis said hesitantly. He looked at them with a mix of concern and adoration.

He wasn’t fully convinced that they’d been telling the truth, but he didn’t want to push and upset them. It was probably best to wait and see what they wanted him to do. If he needed comfort, then Arquis would provide it. If he just wanted to bathe, then Arquis would let him. If he really was alright—if he wanted anything from Arquis, whether it be kisses or possibly more—then he would do as they desired. But he didn’t want to assume that he knew what was best for them.

Rin nodded a little bit. "Yes. It's…I…I really like being touched. Not necessarily in a sexual way, I promise, but just…I like casual touches. It's…one of my love languages, I guess. But, uhm, Lysander– the guy I told you about. Who, ah, groomed me– he used to…abuse that. I guess. That's all." he didn't quite meet Arquis's eyes, gaze flickering down and away.

“Oh,” Arquis said quietly, feeling his heart ache for them, “Rin, I am so sorry about that. To use something like that against you, to hurt you in such a way… that man is an absolute monster. I am sorry that he abused your trust like that.”

He wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, he wanted to comfort them with a hug; a caress; a kiss. On the other, he wasn’t sure if touch was what they wanted at the moment. He just couldn’t stand that look on their face; he couldn’t bear to think that that disgusting man had harmed him.

“Is there anything I can do to help right now, love? Anything at all?”

Rin shook his head faintly, leaning into Arquis and resting his head on the nobleman's shoulder. "Not really. I'm okay, I just…thought you should know, I guess." they said softly, closing their eyes for a moment.