The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

(oh perfect!! Yeah like give them at least a few more days at the hotel before they go back to the palace :)

Rin smiled softly. "Yeah. You do." they agreed softly, standing up when Arquis did and wrapping his arms around his back, leaning his cheek on the taller man's shoulder. "You do look a mess. But it's alright. Once you've cleaned up a bit, you can go back to bed, and I'll go grab us some food and tea and coffee, and we'll have a nice, chill morning. Just us." unless or until Ari or Honey decided to join them, which Rin would allow to be up to Arquis about whether or not he wanted either of the other two to come in."

(of course!! they deserve to have nice things at least for a little longer fhfjfjfjd)

Arquis smiled faintly when he looked at the two of them together in the mirror. Rin was so beautiful, even when they'd just woken up. He wished he could be a better partner. Someone stable, someone calm. The type of person who wouldn't completely freak out after a very lovely night in. He wasn't yet, but maybe someday he would get there.

"You are so very good to me," he whispered. That last word was a faint, high hitch of breath, signaling an oncoming rush of tears. He sniffled pathetically and shook his head. The tears were held back, but just barely. "Not again. I will not. I am alright. I just… you really do just treat me so well, love."

He recalled the sensation of them cleaning him in the bath and blushed. There was something so tender about that memory, as sleep-muddled as it was. He'd stand and bask in it forever if he didn't have more to do. He washed his flushed face and neck with a cold, damp rag, then ran a comb through his hair. For good measure, he popped another breath mint and spritzed on some lavender cologne.

(htbkrjehb they definitely do!)

Rin hummed faintly, staying pressed up against Arquis. "And why wouldn't I treat you well, my darling?" they asked softly. "Why on earth would I treat you otherwise?" he pressed a soft kiss to the nape of Arquis's neck, still holding onto him. He knew that their lives together could be– would be –difficult, but he knew they would make it. They would be alright.

Arquis shivered and smiled when they kissed his neck. He was a little surprised to see that there were some love bites scattered down his throat. Though he remembered Rin leaving them, he honestly hadn't thought that they'd actually show up in the daytime. He'd have to wear something with a high collar. Quirisa hadn't packed any turtlenecks, but he was certain he had a scarf somewhere. At a place like this, he really wondered if he'd need it at all, but he knew he'd feel more comfortable if he had the marks covered.

"Most do not treat me with such kindness," the nobleman replied simply. "But enough of that. I have thought of the past far too much this morning, and I would like to spend more time in the present with you. Drinking coffee," he paused and turned, then, similar to how Rin had the night before, teasingly walked his fingers along their collarbones. When he got to the dip in between, he lifted his hand to cup his jaw. The kiss he gave them was brief, just a brush of their lips. "And cozying up to one another. That was what you said, yes?"

Rin hummed very faintly, returning the kiss softly. "Yes. That would be lovely. You can get in the bed, and I will go get us some food, coffee, and tea." he said, reaching up to gently tug on Arquis's collar and lead him back into the bedroom. "Alright? Does that sound alright, my darling?" he kissed Arquis's cheek softly, giving him a gentle little smile.

Arquis moved forward and wrapped them in an embrace. Although he was feeling better, he wasn't yet steady, and it felt amazing to just hold his lover.

"That sounds wonderful," he mumbled into their hair. After longer than necessary, he finally pulled away. He beamed and settled down onto the bed. A flicker of something unreadable ran across his face as he took a deep breath. It was remembrance. He glanced down at the sheets and went rosy all over.

"We did not wash these, did we?" The corner of his mouth quirked up, and there was an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Goodness. Well, I suppose that is not a bad thing. They smell like you."

That was an odd thing to say aloud. He laughed as soon as he said it, startled by his own admission, and hugged the comforter to his chest.

Rin laughed. "We did not wash them, no. We can wash them later, though." he said, stretching and sliding his shoes on. "I'll be right back, love." they gave their partner another soft, quick little smile, then left the room, closing the door quietly behind them as they left. He yawned softly as he headed down the hallway, going towards the kitchens so that he could get food and drinks for himself and his lover.

Rin's smile was infectious, and Arquis found himself grinning to himself even after they left. There was something sweet about the morning. Everything that had happened, all of the negativity and the panic and sickness, had been cleared away as if there'd been a storm. What was left now were blooming flowers of joy and affection. He picked up the nearest pillow, laughed, and tossed it into the air. It landed on his stomach. He wrapped it in a tight hug as he waited for his lover's return.

Near the kitchen, Honey and another man were speaking in hushed, yet clearly tense, tones. The other man was tall and tan with a patchy beard. His long hair was pulled into a ponytail so tight that it sharpened the angles of his cheekbones. He was wearing a shirt with a very deep V-neck and striped pants. Dangling from his ears were two different earrings. He had a completely different style than the blond, who was in a poofy smock, shorts, and tights.

Honey saw the bard approaching out of the corner of his eye and smiled, though it was clearly strained. The stranger made a remark. His smile dropped. He crossed his arms and looked the other way, down the hallway that eventually led to the spa.

Rin clearly caught the tension in the air, and came straight over to Honey, looping an arm around the blond's shoulders in a gentle, but slightly territorial manner. Not in an aggressive way, just in a protective way. "What's going on over here, darlin'?" he asked, letting a soft accent take over his voice, mouth quirking and eyelids drooping slightly as they took on a slightly different persona than normal. He wasn't sure what was going on, but Honey seemed nervous and Rin wasn't sure if this guy was a safe one or not. He leaned towards not, seeing the way Honey was reacting to the man's presence.

Honey was shaking. It wasn't bad enough to see from far away, but he was sure that Rin could feel it with their arm around him. He plastered on a grin, the fake kind that he'd used on his very first day of meeting Rin and Arquis.

"Aw, not much. Talking with an old friend," he replied, pretending to lean in for a kiss. His lips brushed their neck, and he lingered for a moment. Quiet enough so that only they could hear, he whispered, "Don't leave."

By the time that the blond pulled back, the other man looked furious. He swore loudly and tugged on one of his earrings. For a moment, he was so angry that it almost looked as if he was going to pull the thing out and stab Honey straight through. His rage didn't lessen, but he let go of his jewelry.

"I knew you were full of shit," he spat. His face was going an ugly shade of purple. He jabbed a finger into Honey's ribs, right where he'd been bruised. The young man flinched. "You said all that crap about taking a break—yeah, right. I totally knew it was a lie, but I was like, uh, whatever. He's not worth it. But this is ridiculous. You trying to embarrass me? Is that it? Think you're better than me?" He stepped forward, his hand and voice raising again, but stopped. His eyes darted to Rin. A muscle worked in his jaw. "My room. Fifteen minutes. We'll work this out in private."

Rin kept their arm around Honey's shoulders, not letting go of him. His gaze moved to the other man, and he raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, Honey's not going anywhere without me." they said, voice firm. "If you've got something to say to him, you can say it right here with me." his gaze flicked around for a moment, before returning to the man in front of them.

The man's eyes narrowed, though his mouth curled to the side as if he was about to smirk. He tipped his head at Rin. "Oh, I get it. Gone and got yourself a boyfriend, Honey?" He gave the bard a once over, then looked pityingly at the blond. "Baby, monogamy doesn't look good on you. Does he at least pay well?"

Honey's jaw was so tight that he was at serious risk of cracking a tooth. His complexion had gone deathly pale, not including the red blossoming in his cheeks. This was humiliating. It was one thing to talk about his negative experiences and clients in the relative isolation of a closed room. It was another to have Rin actually meet someone like Myr.

"Myr, please, can you just let it go? We've had fun," that was a lie, and his voice trembled as he said it, "but that was in the past."

He snorted. "Yeah, right. When he breaks up with you, you're gonna come crawling back. Why not just cut out the whole middle part and save yourself the trouble? You're not one for all that drama and sappy shit, anyways." Something in his face softened, and he stepped forward again. Honey went still. Myr's hand cupped his cheek, though there was something possessive about it, as if any moment he'd switch and go for the throat. He grinned. "Come on, baby. A boyfriend? What, you gonna get married, throw a wedding? You know you're not cut out for that."

Honey said nothing.

"He doesn't know you like I do. Don't you know that? Haven't I been good to you? Taken care of you? Brought you gifts?" Myr's thumb stroked Honey's lip, and he winked at Rin. "Sorry, but it's true. I've known him longer. Met right after he got here."

Rin reached up and flicked Myr's hand away. "Doesn't matter if you've known him longer, he likes me better." they replied. "And he told you to leave. Even if you're right– which I doubt you are –you can wait and see. If you're right, he'll come back. If you're wrong, he won't." he hated talking like this, but he knew that they needed to communicate with Myr in the same way that Myr spoke.

Rin’s words made Myr look pissed. He often looked that way, but especially so right then, as his mouth tightened and nostrils flared. He clenched the hand that they'd touched into a fist, then shoved it into one of his pockets. For a terrifying moment, Honey thought that he was going to pull a weapon, but he instead withdrew a ring. He seized and wrenched the blond's wrist so that the inner side of his forearm was facing up, then violently shoved the band onto one of his fingers. His ring finger.

In another situation, and from another person, it could've been a legitimate gift. A promise ring, even. But this was Myr, and the things that Myr gave away always came with strings. This wasn't just a ring. It was a brand. Myr's initials were on the front of it in gold.

Before the man left, he leaned in and whispered something in Honey's ear. As soon as he was finished, he went stomping off in the other direction. Honey didn't watch him go. He just stared at the floor in blank horror. A single tear slipped down his cheek, but he didn't seem to notice it.

Rin gently took Honey's hand, sliding the ring off and tossing it down on the floor. He gently pulled Honey in for a soft hug, his touch light enough and gentle enough that Honey could pull away easily anytime. "I've got you, Honey. You're going to be alright." they whispered, gently rubbing Honey's back and upper shoulders as he tried to soothe the young man. "What can I do to help you?"

"I hate him." Honey's voice cracked, though he didn’t lose his composure. He finally wiped that tear away and returned Rin's hug. "I hate him so much. He's obsessive, he can't stand it when I talk to anybody else. I used to think that meant he cared about me. That he thought I was special or something. He'd always apologize when he was too rough, and I used to believe him."

There was a break where he didn't say anything for a while. His gaze grew distant, as if he was seeing something that wasn't there. It took him a little bit to snap out of that trance.

"He was one of my first," the blond said softly. "When I was sixteen. He was twenty-one. I thought he was so mature, you know? And I was happy, because he told me that I was, too. So mature for my age." He sighed deeply. “Least I don’t gotta see him again today. Whatever. It’s whatever. Why’re you here, hot stuff? Getting something to eat?”

"I know." he said softly, still holding onto Honey. "That's how guys like that operate. They tell you they think you're gorgeous, and that you're so mature for your age, and they love you already. And you're too young to know any better, and by the time you figure it out, you're in too deep." it had been the same with Lysander. That was how it had been with him. "And yeah. I came down to get food and such for Arquis and I."

"Yeah. That's pretty much how it went. He used to compliment me a ton. Talked about how I had pretty hair and nice eyes and junk. After the first month, he started requesting stuff. Said I should cut it a certain way. Said I should start wearing more makeup, but not in public. Only for him. I thought that meant that he was gonna ask me out. Make what we had official. So I did it. Anything he asked. Anything."

Honey shuddered. There was a lot of that time that he didn't remember. It was around the same time that he started experimenting with drinking, searching for ways to numb the pain. The horror of it was still fresh then, and he had a really hard time coping. He'd get blackout drunk almost every week at seventeen. At eighteen, just two years ago, he'd finally decided to stop. He couldn't be there for Lovey or any of the others if he was so out of it all the time. Plus, his performance was really starting to suffer. He still drank occasionally with friends or certain clients, but he usually stayed away.

"Stopped obeying him when I realized that he was never gonna be with me. That made him mad. He left for a long time. Only started coming back around last year, and it was like nothing had happened." Honey bit his lip and reddened, embarrassed. "Most of my work wardrobe—that's stuff that he bought. Some of it was from other people, and I bought a couple things myself, but a lot of it's from him. Said he liked it best when I showed some skin."

Rin nodded slightly, arms still gently wrapped around Honey. "Yeah." he said softly. "My…it was similar. Started out with suggestions for what I could wear, and it eventually became orders. Anything I wore had to be something he had decided was something he wanted me wearing. I had to tell him where I was going, what I was doing, who I was with…" he trailed off, shaking his head for a moment and letting out a faint breath. "It's not my fault. What happened. And it's not yours either." he rubbed Honey's back gently.

Honey inhaled sharply as if he was about to cry for real and hugged them tighter. What had happened to him over the years was horrible, but he couldn't help but feel as if Rin's trauma was more personal. Myr had not always been around. He came about six or seven times a year, and he only ever stayed for about a week. To be near someone like that all the time would be awful.

"He'll probably try and find me again tonight," Honey mumbled. "He doesn't take no for an answer. Can't. It's like it's a personal offense or something. No excuse is good enough. Sick? You're faking. Busy? You're lying. Have another client? That one just makes him angry."

He pulled away, scooped the ring off the floor, and studied it for a while. If Myr happened to find it there, he'd get violent. The blond pocketed it and gave Rin a weak smile.

"Thanks for the help, hot stuff. Really, you're the best. I hope you and dreamboat have a nice breakfast. You deserve it."

Rin nodded faintly, releasing Honey when the blond pulled away. "You're welcome to come join Arquis and I tonight in order to stay away from Myr. Or Ari, for that matter. He wouldn't mind your company either." they said softly, giving Honey a quick, soft little smile. "But you shouldn't be alone, if Myr is going to bother you. You need someone to be with you and help protect you."

"I don't need protecting. I'm not a child," Honey said in a particularly childish manner, then laughed at himself. "Yeah, you're right. I should probably tell Pretty and get him out of here. That'd be the easiest option. Don't wanna take up too much of you and dreamboat's time. Especially not at night. That's when, well, y'know." He smirked at Rin. "When a bard and a nobleman love each other very much…"

He was teasing, which was an improvement from his earlier mood. It always helped to talk of Rin and Arquis. They were considered good friends. He admired and, though it was difficult, trusted them. Not as much as he trusted Lovey, but maybe with time and work he could change that.

He wiggled his brows and lightly poked Rin in the side. "Though I guess you and handsome haven't really messed around with all that, huh?"

Rin hummed very faintly. "Ari wouldn't mind the company." his cheeks flushed very faintly, and he looked away for a moment. "It's not…I…" he laughed a little bit, a touch embarrassed now and he was not even quite sure why. They cleared their throat, gaze returning to Honey again after a moment.

Honey looked absolutely delighted. "Oh, no way. Really?" he asked, as if they'd spilled a number of thrilling details. "When, last night? How was it? Wait. You don't gotta talk about it, but, like, congrats. I know you and him got a whole romance thing going, so I hope everything went well."

He gave one of Rin's burning cheeks a gentle pinch. The smile on his face was dazzlingly bright. Despite all of his teasing, he really did hope that they'd had a nice time. They made for a very cute couple. He'd hate for anything to come in between them.

He cleared his throat. "It was good." they said. "Now then. I came here for food, and tea, and coffee. Not to talk about sex." he laughed a little bit, glancing down towards the kitchen, then over at Honey again. "But seriously, if you want to come over tonight, or go over to Ari's room, or whatever. Just to stay away from Myr."

Honey beamed at them, giving him a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "You really think Ari would go for that? He'd probably think that I'm trying to get in his bed. Which, y'know. If that's what he's craving, then I'm not opposed, but he seems like he wants the whole date thing first. I wouldn't wanna make him uncomfortable."

Lovey had said that the snow was melting, which was a little disappointing. He couldn't imagine a better way to spend a cold night than cozying up with someone like Ari. That wasn't something that he'd done with many people before. They usually wanted him out when they were finished. Sugar was often the one he came to for comfort afterwards. He'd swaddle her in blankets like a baby and hug her to his chest while he cried. She was always so happy to see him, even when he was upset.

Rin smiled a little. "I mean, he'll want conversation. If you're not alright with conversation, then no. He won't be wanting sex." he shrugged his shoulders faintly, running a hand through his hair. "But, uh, I don't think he would mind you joining him." they gave Honey another soft little smile.

Honey nodded, though he suddenly look a bit nervous. He shifted from foot to foot and cleared his throat.

"I don't know how good I'll be at the whole talking thing." He said it as if he was telling a joke, but there was a tinge of something serious in his tone. "Especially not without you guys there to back me up. He makes me feel all, um, like, I don't know. All outta sorts. Not in a bad way. I'm just usually the one that's all calm and collected, right? Like, I don't got any problem flirting. I can play it cool. I know what I'm doing. But I stop knowing when I look at him. I forget everything I plan to say, which makes me say dumb stuff instead. Like yesterday, when I went on a whole tangent about how hot you were. Which, like, you totally are, and now I'm kinda jealous of dreamboat, but that's not something I should've said to him."

He was rambling again. When he realized it, he laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, man. I'm doing it, aren't I? And he's not even here."

Rin laughed a little bit. "Oh, don't worry about that." he said softly. "He won't…he's not the kind of guy that's going to care that you aren't calm and collected all the time. To tell the truth, he'll probably find your awkwardness a bit endearing, so, I don't believe you have anything to truly worry about." he shrugged their shoulders, smiling over at Honey.

Honey went a very attractive shade of crimson when they said the word endearing. His shoulders tensed, but he was smiling, so it was clear that he wasn't upset. Just a little embarrassed. He laughed in a way that was particularly unlike himself—all high and uneven, not smooth like a purr—and clapped his hand over his mouth. More laughter burst from the cracks between his fingers.

"Not sure about that, but hey, maybe you're right." His brow creased as he suddenly recalled something Myr had said. "Do you really think I have a chance at, um… not marriage. But the dating thing. I've never dated anyone. I don't even know how. And I'm not saying that me and Ari are gonna date or anything, 'cause, like, that depends on him. If we did, though, then I'd be worried. Maybe Myr was right. Maybe I'm not cut out for that. I don't know if anyone would wanna date me after they knew what happened to me. I'm kinda like used goods, yeah? Secondhand, or, or thirdhand, or however many hands been on me. Y’know?”