The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Arquis tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and sighed. The dim lighting emphasized the slope of his shoulders and his Adam’s apple. He made a show of removing the rest of his shirt, pulling it off one sleeve at a time. He then knitted his hands behind his neck so that Rin could really see the muscles working in his arms. It was nerve wracking, putting himself on display like this. He hoped he didn’t look as foolish as he felt.

“I am starting to feel rather lonely over here,” he stage-whispered, arching against the wall. His eyelids fluttered open, though only halfway. He wet his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. The shirt slipped from his grasp to the floor. He let it fall with a coy smile.

Rin's gaze narrowed, and the faintest flush bloomed on his cheeks. Nevertheless, he got up from the bed and came over to Arquis, gently sliding his hand up his partner's chest to rest against his collarbone. They moved close, lips barely brushing against Arquis's. They paused for a long, long moment, letting Arquis wait, then spoke. "I'm going to tell Ari to go to bed." they whispered, before pulling back and depositing a kiss to the edge of the nobleman's lips in a light, teasing motion.

Arquis could barely stand. Wide-eyed, chest trembling from anticipation, he made an indecipherable sound and stumbled to the bed. It was extremely ungraceful in comparison to his previous actions, but he literally couldn’t care less. He traced his hand up his chest in a pantomime of what they’d just done. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, like he’d been electrified. He kind of felt like he had. Every part of him was humming with an urgency that he’d never felt before, or at least not to this degree.

“Be polite,” he finally managed. “He is a guest, after all. I do not want to, um… ah, I do not want him to…”

Rin had rendered him speechless. He smiled, embarrassed, and studied him from where he lay against the pillow.

Rin laughed a little bit, watching his lover plop down on the bed, and then turned to the door, opening it. Ari was sitting in the hall, picking absently at his fingers. He looked up when Rin opened the door, and smirked slightly. "Are you here to tell me to leave?"

"I…how could you tell?" Rin asked, laughing a little.

"The look in your eyes." Ari stood, smiling over at his friend. "Be safe. I'll see you in the morning."

Rin laughed again. "Goodnight, Ari."

Arquis blushed as the conversation drifted through the crack in the door. There was nothing openly scandalous about it, but he wondered if Ari knew what was really going on. That was both a bit mortifying and sweet in a very strange way. It made their relationship—which was a wonderful, messy, whirlwind romance—feel more concrete.

He smiled to himself as he replayed the events of the evening. It had been a very long day, and much had happened. They’d gone through so many highs and lows that it nearly made his head spin. He was very eager to find out what was next. Even if it ended up being simple cuddling, he’d be perfectly fine with it.

He was in love with Rin. He’d never been in love with anyone before, not like this. His smile softened as that warm, giddy feeling blossomed in his chest once again. He rolled onto his side and waited eagerly for their return.

Ari gave his friend a wink and a grin, and then left, heading back to his own room.

Rin turned back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him as he came over to the bed. They got up on it, laying down beside Arquis and pressing close to him, giving him a soft smile. "I'm back." They said, walking their fingers up Arquis's chest.

Arquis let out a low laugh, the kind that rumbled deep in his chest, and said, “Mm, yes, I noticed.”

He brought his hand up over theirs, gently pressing their palm flat over his skin. Then, he moved it up to the spot over his own heart. He assumed they could feel how fast it was beating, and when he looked at him, his pupils were dilated. He bit his lower lip and turned his head against the pillow. This wasn’t his area of expertise. It was making him feel shy.

“This is my favorite place on your body,” he whispered, lifting their joined hands and placing them over their heart instead. His voice was incredibly earnest, lacking the teasing quality from earlier. “It is my favorite spot to rest my head. You have a wonderful heart, my love.”

He smiled softly, closing his own eyes for a moment. "Oh, my darling." he said softly. "You are so terribly sweet to me." they opened their eyes, leaning forward to press another soft kiss to Arquis's cheek. "Now, where were we?" he shifted to straddle Arquis, now above him.

“Oh.” Arquis flushed bright red and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. The weight of them on top of him was doing very strange things to his mind. He shifted under them, bringing his hand to rest on one of their hips. His eyes were wide, his breath bated.

“You look lovely like this,” he exhaled softly. Seeing them above him, feeling the pressure of his legs around him, was an incredible experience. He felt overwhelmed. He felt so, so lucky. He felt like he had no clue what he was doing, which was the truth. He also felt a bit chilly. That was due to his lack of a shirt, no doubt.

Rin leaned down, pressing their mouth to their partner's for a long, long moment, before he pulled away again. "How far do you want to go tonight, darling?" he asked in a soft tone, reaching up to trace Arquis's lips with their fingers, fingertips brushing lightly across the nobleman's mouth. "It's completely up to you, my love."

Arquis groaned when they moved his lips away, though he seemed rather satisfied when they replaced them with his fingers. Maintaining eye contact, he kissed up and down their index finger, then trailed all the way to his elbow. He nuzzled into the crook of his arm and hummed under his breath.

“Not completely, my dear. Not completely. You have as much a say in this as I do.” He let his head fall back onto the pillow and massaged his thumb against their hip. “I want… I am not sure how far I want to go. But… ah, further than we have been before.”

Rin gave him a soft little smile. "I'm okay with that." he said softly. "But, ah, what do you mean by further?" he asked, fingers still gently resting against Arquis's lips. "Like a make-out session, or…?" he let it trail off into a question, raising his eyebrows a little bit as they looked over at Arquis.

Arquis covered his face with his hands and shrugged slightly. He genuinely didn’t know the answer, and he felt a bit ridiculous. Hadn’t he been the one to take his shirt off? Hadn’t he been the one acting all cocky, posing against the wall like that? But now he was so incredibly nervous. He kissed the pads of their fingers as he thought, considering the question.

“I do not know,” he finally admitted. His blush had spread to his ears and down his chest. “I am worried that if… um, that if we go, ah, all the way…” He breathed in and out before starting the sentence over. “I am worried that I might get overwhelmed. If we go all the way. And I do not want that to happen. But I also really, really want you, love. So badly.”

Rin shifted to lay on his side next to Arquis, pressing a soft kiss to the nobleman's cheek. "I see." there was no judgement in his tone, only a gentle softness. "We can go as far as you feel capable of, then." they suggested, giving him another little smile, resting his other hand on his lover's stomach, touch light and gentle.

Arquis gave a small nod and swallowed. “Alright. Alright, then. Ah, what should I… how do we do this?”

He already missed the sensation of them on top of him. Their hand on his stomach, however, felt rather nice. He wondered if Rin could feel the heat of his flushed skin, and he realized that he was already beginning to sweat. A bead of it ran from his throat to his thin stomach, only slightly put off course by the rather flat curve of his chest. He made an awkward sound and swiped it away with his wrist. His damp skin almost seemed to sparkle in the dim light of the room. Which reminded him. Before they could do anything else, he turned off the lights, then light one or two candles by the bed. That would hopefully be enough light. He returned to his spot and looked at him.

Rin moved their hand when Arquis got up, watching his lover quietly until he came back. "We…" he laughed a little bit, wrapping his arm around Arquis, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "Firstly, there needs to be a certain mood, generally, but that's fine. And, darling, we do whatever we feel like. If we intend on sex we should, ah, have protection ready. I know neither of us is capable of a pregnancy, but diseases can be transmitted, and while I'm sure you're clean, I would still prefer that we were careful."

(heading to bed, goodnight!)

Arquis looked more than a little bit helpless. “Ah, yes, that certain mood. Yes, the mood, and protection. Right. And I know how to do that. Both of those things. Because I took classes on courtship. Um.” He hid his eyes with his forearm. He’d die of embarrassment before they even got started. “Hypothetically, where would we get that? The second thing. I did not prepare for this. At all.”

He assumed that Rin wouldn’t have any either, which meant they’d have to either look around the room or go to the front desk. Honey would undoubtedly still be on duty. Arquis would actually pass away if they had to ask Honey for assistance. He’d just lay down on the floor and cease to exist. The blond would never let either of them live it down. There would be jokes for eternity.

Rin laughed softly at Arquis's clear embarrassment. "Well, this is the honeymoon suite, so I'm sure there are some condoms around here somewhere." He got out of the bed and started opening drawers, poking through them. It took him just a little before he found some, and they set them down on the bedside table. "Found some, so we should be fine." He smiled, coming over and kissing Arquis again. The kiss was long and sweet and just a bit heated, Rin's hands gently resting against Arquis's chest.

Arquis shared the kiss with them gladly, sighing and lifting his chest to press against his hands. This, he could do. But the objects sitting on their bedside table were making him anxious, and when he broke apart from them for air, he decided he should speak. There was something on his mind, and though it was rather humiliating, he knew he should be honest.

“My love, I am not sure that I will be very good at this,” he started in a quiet, clearly nervous tone. “I… I have not… in a long time. Never with another, but even alone, I do not… um, participate in such behaviors often. It has been a very long time since I have indulged in this sort of activity.” He swallowed, his throat bobbing. “So, ah, I am sorry. If I am bad at this. If I do not know what I like, or what you might like, or…”

Rin kissed his cheek softly, nodding just a little bit. "That's alright, darling. I'm not expecting you to know exactly what to do, or what you want, and that's okay." he said in a soft tone, hands still gently resting on Arquis's chest. "We don't have to do anything that you aren't comfortable or sure about doing. I don't want to pressure you into anything."

Arquis closed his eyes for a just a brief moment, nodded, and then looked over at him once more. There was a touch less uncertainty in his gaze, though he did somehow seem even more nervous. He squirmed under them. The feel of their bare palms on his unclothed skin was already a lot.

“The same goes for you, my dear. If you want to stop, then we shall stop.” He brought his own hands to wrap around his shoulders. They were always so much stronger than he expected. He imagined traveling quite a bit and carrying heavy bags did that to a person. It was enticing. His hands slipped to his waist, and he hesitantly pushed one under their shirt. The tips of his fingers lightly brushed the small of his back.

“Perhaps this should come off?” he murmured. His attempt at pillow talk was already laughable. He felt warmth blossom in his cheeks.

Rin nodded at Arquis's words, then smirked at the request. "Perhaps it should." he sat back a little bit, and stripped off his shirt, setting it aside. "Better?" they asked softly, leaning forward to kiss Arquis's cheek again. He nuzzled the nobleman's cheek, snuggling closer to him.

(genuinely cannot remember—how muscular is Rin? I know they’re relatively slender/strong but does he have abs or is their figure more lean?)

A short gasp escaped the nobleman’s lips. He cuddled with them for a moment, radiant with bliss, before nudging him onto his back. He drank him in slowly. They were gorgeous, an absolute treat for the eyes. Experimentally, he placed his hands flat on their upper stomach, smoothing his fingers back and forth over that area.

“Oh, goodness, yes, this is better,” he stammered urgently. “I mean, you are always lovely, but this is so much better. My love, I wish you could see yourself right now. Just beautiful. I want- I want to kiss every part of you.”

(like…lean but with abs? idk)

Rin easily allowed Arquis to move them around, smiling up at him. "Then do it." he replied to Arquis's comment about kissing. "If you like. I certainly wouldn't object to it." he smirked a little bit, reaching up to rest his hands on his lover's shoulders.

(ooh ok that’s what I was wondering)

Arquis let out a deep, desperate groan and claimed their mouth in a needy kiss. Without wasting a moment, he dragged his lips down to their neck. He proceeded to nip and then suck at a patch of skin right in between the two fading bruises from before. His hands grasped at their sides when he finally went for air; his pupils were huge, and he was quite breathless.

“Tell me if this is too much, love,” he murmured, lowered his head, and went to work again. This time, he kissed a straight line down to his stomach. His breath hitched when he landed on their abs. He left a few very messy, almost completely open-mouthed kisses there. It was quite a lot to handle.

“Oh, my love, my heart, you are so pretty. I do not say that enough. You are handsome, so, so pretty, and I swear-“ That last word was said with a considerable amount of strain, as if he was fighting to keep himself under control. He paused to rest his forehead on Rin’s chest and laughed, his breath a gentle puff of air against their skin.

(does that description make sense? like he's not bulky but there is muscle there?)

Rin took a few deep breaths, his breath hitching every now and again as Arquis kissed down their body, his lower lip catching between their teeth for a moment. "Oh." he breathed, eyes flickering shut. The puff of air made him shiver, eyes opening again as he looked over at Arquis. "Oh, darling." they didn't quite know what to say.

(yeah I get what you mean!)

Arquis waited for just a little bit more, nuzzling against them contentedly, before continuing. Rather than work his way downwards, however, he started at the base of their throat and went to the left side of his chest. He brushed a thumb along the underside of their pec, then repeated the motion with his lips. The slight swell of muscle there was rather attractive. He leaned forward to kiss it again, but he changed his mind at the last moment and gently nipped at it instead. This was repeated a few more times before he returned to almost apologetic kissing. The process was done again to the other side, and once it was finished, he practically lunged for his partner’s mouth. His whole body shuddered as he bit their lip.

“Love,” he pleaded against their mouth, voice trembling, “love, can you- I do not know what I am doing, I-”

(okay good lol)

Rin let out a soft moan at the repeated nips and kisses, returning Arquis's kiss almost frantically. "Darling, darling, you are already doing so well." they replied, reaching up to cup Arquis's face in their hands and bringing him in for another soft, sweet, and rather heated kiss. "What do you want me to do, sweetheart?"

That compliment, brief and innocent as it was, nearly killed Arquis. The kiss also caught him off guard, but he gave into it willingly. His body was shaking—especially his arms, which were barely supporting him at this point—and there was a ragged rasp to his breathing that signified his urgency. He wanted. He didn’t know what he wanted, but he wanted it badly, so badly that it felt as if he was aflame.

“I do not- I cannot-” He tried to go in for another kiss, but he ended up at the corner of their mouth. He trailed to their earlobe and gently tugged it in his teeth. After he let go, he tried to speak again. “Can you tell me?” There was another pause as he struggled with what to say. “Can you tell me what you like? Please? We should- we should have talked about this, I- I-”

He gently smoothed his hands along Arquis's shoulders, trying to soothe his anxious, worried partner. "Love, you're doing so well." he said again. "I promise you are. And as for what I like…darling. I like you. I…rather like it when you nip, though that is certainly not a requirement, uhm…" he took a deep breath, trying to think. "Or, perhaps, I can just tell you what I don't like? I would rather not be smacked around, and I don't like demeaning or humiliating language, and I don't like being tied up." they gave Arquis a soft little smile. "Alright?"