The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Ari hummed very faintly, finishing up the bandages and giving Honey a soft smile. "You can return the favor by taking good care of yourself, m'kay?" he replied, straightening up. "Now then, let's get breakfast for Rinlos and Arquis." he moved over to work on the food.

Rin had just been breathing and giving themself a moment to pull himself together, and he looked up at his partner and gave a faint smile, lacing their fingers with Arquis's. "Darling, I'm okay." they said quietly. "I don't believe there is anything you can do."

Honey blushed slightly. Ari was being sweet, but the blond couldn't resist the urge to tease. Their flirty banter was just so much fun. He very gently bumped the other man with his hip as he joined him at the counter. Ophia had finished most of the breakfast, but she'd left out a bowl of fruit for them to cut. He washed the knife that Arquis had been using earlier so that he could halve a deep purple plum. The insides were a lovely dark red, and the juice that dribbled onto the cutting board smelled both tangy and sweet.

"Take good care of myself, huh?" He paused and set the knife aside so that he could pop a piece of plum into his mouth. "Mm. In what way are we talking, stranger?"

Arquis had been expecting Rin's response, but it still felt a bit upsetting. He really had wished to be able to help him. Maybe he still could, in some small way.

"Of course." He leaned forward and kissed the bridge of his nose, then hesitated. He lovingly squeezed their hand. "Would a real kiss be alright, my love? Or would that be overwhelming? I do not wish to upset you, but if it would be a welcome distraction, then I can certainly provide one."

Ari smiled faintly. "In whatever way you like, though depending on how you decide to do so, I suppose I must ask that you go behind closed doors to carry it out." he replied, gently flicking Honey's shoulder and then getting back to work to get the breakfast set up. "Though I would prefer you took care of yourself in some way other than the kind requiring closed doors."

Rin leaned into Arquis, flashing a quick, faint little smile. "A real kiss is welcomed, my darling." he replied, pressing closer to his lover and giving him another soft smile.

Honey grinned brilliantly and leaned over, stealing some of what Ari had been cutting. It was a bitter breed of citrus that grew in the community garden. Ophia must have been gifted it by a friend. He licked the sourness of it from his lips and went for another piece. Freshly grown fruit was wonderful. The Cecilia Rouge bought some ingredients locally, but most were sent in from elsewhere. Champagne and spirits from far off wineries, candy from places like the Palace de Vey, aphrodisiacs from specific traveling merchants.

"Why, you're such a flirt, stranger! Got such a dirty mind. I never said anything about closed doors—that was all you." He batted his golden lashes as if he were a pure gal in a romance novel. "Though I don't mind. Sounds real sweet, coming from a charming young man like yourself."

Arquis shifted in the guest room so that his hands cupped his partner's face. He wanted to make this kiss special. Not that the rest weren't, but he really wished to comfort him, to show his partner that he was there and cared so much for them. He leaned in slowly, lingering, and then finally brought their lips together. It was perhaps the softest kiss they'd ever shared. He closed his eyes and sank into sensation.

Ari laughed a little bit, looking down at the fruits. "Mm, I'm sure." he replied. "But please do take care of yourself, Honey. That is all the repayment I need." he finished slicing the one he had been working on, setting the slices aside so that he could put them on a plate in a moment.

Rin allowed themself to just sink into the kiss, eyes flickering shut and body pressing in close to Arquis as he returned the soft, sweet, lingering kiss.

Honey's smile wavered, and he set the knife aside. In one quick, smooth movement, he scooped the fruit that he'd diced and began to divide it between plates. He shaped the bard's slices into a little smiley face by their eggs and rice to show that he really was sorry for what he'd done. The nobleman's weren't shaped like anything. It wasn't that he disliked Arquis. They were friends, or so he believed. There was just something slightly off about him. Maybe it was all of the rumors he'd heard about the man that were skewing his perspective. That would be unfortunate. He had a feeling, however, that it had to do with the man's position. Nobles didn't win him over easily, and there was just something small about the man that rubbed him the wrong way. He wasn't sure when he'd noticed it, but something felt slightly off with him.

He picked up two of the plates and gestured over his shoulder. "Gonna go take them their food. Uh, thanks, by the way. For all that. And for that last part. I'll try."

When the blond entered the guest room, he wasn't surprised to find Rin and Arquis in such a state. The noble's right hand had slid to the nape of his lover's neck and had guided him deeper into the tender kiss. It was a soft scene to observe. Honey almost felt bad for ruining it by clearing his throat. Almost.

"Breakfast is served. Time to chow down. Y'know, you really gotta get your stamina up, if you're gonna keep smooching everywhere. Need some energy for all that loving."

Arquis sat back on his heels and sent Honey a look. "You have quite a way with words."

He winked in response. "Aw, that's nothing. You should hear me in bed."

The nobleman choked loudly on nothing and buried his very flushed face in his partner's shoulder. He was laughing too hard to reply.

Ari gave him another quick little smile, and got to work on cleaning everything once Honey had taken the plates away to Rin and Arquis. He still felt saddened that his friend had had a nightmare, and that Honey had hurt himself, but he was determined to make sure that this was a good day.

Rin laughed at Honey's response, smiling over at him. "Hey, Honey. Thanks for the food." they said. Their gaze flicked to the bandages, and they frowned slightly. "Oh. Are you alright?" he asked, gaze worried as he studied the blond. "What happened?" had those been there before? He couldn't remember.

Honey's grin was quick and charming. With the ease of a dancer, he situated himself right in between the bard and their partner, wrapping an arm around the shoulders of each to keep himself upright. He threw his head back as he laughed. It was a sparkly sort of laugh, the kind that sang out in the somewhat empty guest room.

"So kind of you to worry, hot stuff, but everything's just peachy. Turns out I'm a pretty big klutz. Can you believe that?" He widened his eyes in mock alarm at Arquis, then beamed over at Rin. "Maybe I could get Ari to kiss 'em better. Think he'd swing for that?"

"I think you should lower your voice. He might hear you," Arquis said with an amused sigh.

"Oh, he’s heard worse today. Said it, too." The blond patted Rin's cheek. "Anyways, I should be off soon. Gotta eat and then go check in on things at the inn. Can't sit still for too long, y'know?"

"We should probably leave with you. Ophia is lovely, but she is closer to you than us, and I do not want to overstay our welcome."

"But I don't wanna rush you," Honey pouted.

Rin hummed faintly, glad that Honey seemed to be alright. "I am not sure you could convince him to kiss them better, though he might be willing to kiss you a little bit, if that is something you wanted." he smirked faintly, taking his plate of food adn taking a bite of it, giving Honey a sly look. "Though I would be careful about how you bring that up to him, if you do so at all. And, ah, yeah, Arquis and I will head back with you, probably."

Honey whistled and practically leapt to his feet. The thought of kissing Ari, even for a couple of seconds, was enough to make him smile uncontrollably. He ruffled Rin's hair, spun to face the door, laughed from dizziness, and left. Arquis wasn't sure he'd heard what else the bard had said. If he had, he hadn't given a response.

"Oh, to be young and lovestruck," the noble teased, as if he and his partner hadn't been kissing just moments prior. He kind of wished they would again. It would be much more pleasant than eating. He set the plate in his lap. Nothing on it looked appetitizing. He took a breath in and let it out. The whole plate would be too much, but he could finish half. One forkful at a time. That was all it took.

In the kitchen, Honey basically tackled Ari in a hug. He was radiant with joy. In a thrilled, singsong voice, he begged, "C’mon, no more dishes! We gotta eat!”

Rin laughed as he watched the blond dash from the room, looking over at Arquis. "What, you are not young and lovestruck yourself?" they asked in a soft, teasing tone, smiling over at him. Their gaze flicked to Arquis's plate for a moment, but they didn't say anything to him about eating it yet. They wanted to see what Arquis would do, if Rin said nothing.

Ari laughed, leaning into the hug a little bit. "Alright, alright." he replied, smiling over at Honey. "We'll eat."

Arquis leaned over the plate and gave Rin a peck on the lips. "Very lovestruck, my dear," he confirmed when they parted, "though I am not sure about young. Twenty-one is quite up there in age."

It was a joke, of course, but it often felt true. Some days, he felt ancient, like he'd lived a million lifetimes already and had to trudge through another. He didn't believe in reincarnation or anything, but the feeling occasionally wore him out. As he'd said in the bathroom at the Palace so many days ago, he was tired. Tired of getting his hopes up, tired of moving forward. That exhaustion didn't linger for long on good days, but when he'd lived with Muria at his family home, he hadn't had many good days.

He shook his head faintly and smiled over at his lover. Such dark thoughts would really spoil their morning together. He'd strive for positivity instead.

In the kitchen, Honey laughed and, forgetting himself, nuzzled against Ari's hair. When he remembered that they very much weren't an item, he took a small step back and turned to pick up his plate. He ate with the fervor of a starving man. The sooner he finished his food, the sooner they could check in on Lovey and plan his outfit for the date.

Rin hummed faintly. "Perhaps." they replied, smiling over at their partner. He went back to eating his food, casting another small glance at Arquis's plate and hoping his lover would eat without a reminder. If not, Rin, would remind him. It was alright if he needed to remind him.

Ari didn't mind the nuzzling, picking up his own plate and getting to work on eating the food on it. "We still on for our date tonight?" he asked softly, looking over at Honey.

Arquis wasn't purposefully avoiding eating. The food was there, and it would've been unavoidable to anyone else, but his mind was good at subconsciously finding distractions. He stared the light filtering in through the blinds and wondered what the weather for the day would look like. He heard a bird cooing outside and got briefly lost in the sound. He felt an itch on his palm and decided he'd have to switch gloves soon. Anything and everything that wasn't the plate in his lap was of interest.

"Yeah. We agreed so earlier, right?" Honey beamed as he scooped the last bits of fruit from his plate. He'd demolished all of his food in about four minutes flat. He licked the sugary fruit juice from his lips, then went to scrub his dish in the sink. Once it was clean, he set it in the drying rack, patted his bandaged hands on a nearby dish towel, and rolled his shoulders.

"I really wanna get back. There's so much to do, y'know?" He fidgeted and sighed. "And I'm worried. I need to check in. It's gonna drive me mad. I wanna go now, but I don’t think they’re done in there yet. Rin and Arquis, I mean.”

"Darling, can you eat something, please?" Rin asked, voice soft as he gently gave Arquis that little reminder. Then he went back to his own plate, eating the food that Ophia had made and that Honey and Ari had prepared for them. It had been very kind of the two to do that.

Ari was still working on his own food, and shrugged a little bit. "Yeah. They'll be ready sooner or later." he replied with a faint, soft smile. "And you'll be okay."

"Hm? Ah, right, of course," Arquis responded, snapping out of his daze. He picked up his fork and stared down at the meal. Fruit, eggs, rice, and vegetables. All healthy. Logically, he shouldn't have an issue with anything that he was seeing. It wasn't as if they were dining on cream puffs, pancakes, eclairs, or mountains of cinnamon rolls. This was nutritious, locally-sourced food, prepared by himself and a wonderful woman. His jaw tightened. He shouldn't have a problem with it. There was no reason to make a fuss. It was fine.

It was not fine.

"Love, could I…" he trailed off and cleared his throat. "Could I try again later? I cannot do this right now."

Honey couldn't stop fidgeting. He nodded at Ari's words, offering him a smile in return, and began to pace around the living room. His steps grew faster as time passed. He'd never been great at sitting still, especially not when he was nervous. That was why he'd started running and exercising. It was to take his mind off of everything.

Rin took a deep breath, thinking about Arquis's words. "Darling, can…can you pick just one thing to eat? I understand that you can't eat it all, but you need to eat something. You're starving. Darling, do you remember a few days ago? You nearly collapsed from lack of food. I won't make you eat everything, but just one type of food. The eggs, or the rice?"

Ari watched him quietly, finishing his own food and taking care of his dishes.

Arquis set the fork down and shook his head. "I cannot. Please, Rin, you have to understand. That was a few days ago. Today is different. I have been good, have I not? Drinking cider and eating that muffin? Dining at that restaurant? I am not starving any longer. There is no imminent danger at all. I am alright."

He didn't want to make a big deal of this because there truly was nothing wrong. It was fine. He was almost never hungry in the morning, anyways. This wasn't unusual. He could eat some other time, perhaps at lunch or dinner. He smiled sweetly at his partner and set the meal aside.

"Later, love. I can have something later."

In the living room, Honey was growing more and more impatient. He swore he could hear the seconds ticking away. After pacing for a little while longer, he threw himself into an armchair, crossed and uncrossed his legs, then stood. He couldn't take it for much longer. As he'd said, he didn't want to rush the two lovebirds in the guestroom, but he was about to lose his mind. How long could finishing one meal really take? It wasn't as if it was several courses.

Rin cleared their throat. "Arquis, it takes longer than a few days to recover from starving. You still are, love, even if it is a little bit less obvious as it was." his voice was soft and sweet and gentle, void of ny judgement. He didn't want to make Arquis feel awful about this, but it was still important that he make sure Arquis knew.

Ari sighed softly, looking over at Honey. "You alright?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at the young blond.

Arquis deflated. The hopeful gleam in his eyes dimmed, and his shoulders slouched. He'd given it his best effort. He wasn't sure what else to try. All he knew was that if he ate the food in front of him, it would upset him for the rest of the day. He wouldn't be able to think of anything else. It would ruin everything.

He squeezed his lids shut and wrapped his arms about himself. The urge to slide his hands over his skin—to pinch, to prod, to check—was worse than ever. There would be no difference. As his lover had said, a few days wasn't enough to change much, but he wanted to make sure. He was fighting back that want as best he could.

"Love, please. I understand what you are saying, I promise, but I cannot do this now. I cannot. It will make me ill. I will obsess over it."

In the other room, Honey made a frustrated sound and tugged at curls in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, all good here. Just really wanna bounce. What's taking them so long?"

Rin bit his lip faintly. "Are, uhm, are you sure?" they asked. He hated asking this but it was important. He wanted to be sure. He didn't want to pressure Arquis unduly and trigger a breakdown or a full-day obsession, but at the same time, he knew that Arquis needed to eat. That was so important, it really was. He reached out and gently took Arquis's hands to keep him from yanking at his body as he knew the other man was prone to doing.

Ari watched Honey, shaking his head very faintly. "Just give them some time, Honey. Rin might need a little bit to get himself together."

Arquis inhaled softly when they took his hands, unable to speak. Rin was so good to him. He bent to kiss his knuckles and didn't immediately lift his head. When he spoke, it was still in that position, his creased brow pressed to their wrist.

"I am, my dear." His voice was quiet yet certain. "This is not a battle that I will win. Later today, it might be better. I have faith that things will improve. But I know my mind. If I eat right now, I will be miserable."

There was a pause as he struggled with what to say next. He knew how this all sounded, and he had to admit, it didn't seem great even to him. It was worrying, yet it was the truth.

"You told me to let you know if I ever got off track again." He was speaking earnestly, directly from the heart. "That is why I am telling you now. I want you to know. In the afternoon, I will try my best to recover. I promise."

Honey groaned. Ari was right. He was being selfish. They needed time. He just couldn't stop thinking of worst case scenarios. Everything could go wrong if he wasn't there. At least if something bad happened while he was around, he could help fix it. He could do nothing while he was a decent walk away.

"Sorry. I just…" He shrugged. "I'm trying to be patient. It's tough."

Rin nodded slightly. "Okay. Thank you for expressing this to me." he said, giving his partner a soft smile and leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "You don't have to eat anything right now, but, ah, I would like it if you ate later, then." he smoothed his thumbs over Arquis's knuckles, still gently holding his hands.

Ari nodded a little bit. "Yeah. It's alright. I get it." he said. "But we'll just have to wait for a bit longer."

Arquis went pink and gave them a small, fond smile. This had been a challenging morning for the both of them. He loved them dearly for listening and understanding. Others would have become impatient and punished him for not following their rules, but his partner was so gentle. He swept them into a hug, then left a smattering of tiny kisses all over his jaw.

"Thank you," he whispered, "I love you so much. I will have something later."

Honey sighed dramatically. His lips formed a pout. Waiting got old very quickly, and they'd already done so much of it. He was going to have an aneurysm if they had to stay for fifteen minutes more. Down he went into another chair. He drummed his fingers along the armrests, shifted, and tossed his head back. This wasn't even anxiety. It was an itch, an urge, an impulse. He needed to go.

In the end, he succumbed to impatience. He poked his head in the bedroom and blurted, "Sorry! I know I shouldn't interrupt, but, uh, how're you two doing? Everything good? About ready to head off?”

"Thank you, love." Rin replied. There was silence for only a moment, and then Honey was poking his head in and speaking. Rin suppressed a sigh, turning to Honey and giving the young man a soft, quick smile. "We'll be ready in a few minutes, Honey. Can you give us a few more minutes?" their voice was polite, but still firm. They didn't want to upset Honey, but they were also a touch irked by the interruption.

Ari sighed when Honey got up, flopping down into one of the chairs to wait. He didn't mind waiting, but clearly Honey had.

Honey nodded rapidly and flushed. There was a note of irritation in Rin's tone. His heart sank. He felt like he'd been scolded, even though what they'd said hadn't been that harsh. He shifted from foot to foot in the doorway before stepping away. Instead of joining Ari in the living room, however, he just grabbed his jacket from the ground, slipped it on, and made his way to the entryway. He knew they'd wanted to leave with him, but honestly, he had to go check on his sister. His mind had convinced him that something terrible had happened. He'd arrive to find The Cecilia Rouge in flames, or Sugar would have been stolen, or Lovey would be missing. Something was bound to go wrong.

"Sorry. I'll see you later," he mumbled to Ari, opened the door, and stepped out. The morning air was heavy with the scent of rain to come. He zipped his jacket to his chin and hurried down the street.

Arquis heard the door shut, but he thought it was just Ophia returning from her house call. He tugged his lover more deeply into his embrace and gave him another kiss, this time on the lips like earlier. They tasted of sour fruit. It was lovely.

Ari sat up when they realized Honey was leaving, frowning a little bit. "Honey–" but the blond was gone before Ari could think of what to say, much less finish the sentence aloud. He stared at the door helplessly, unsure what the best thing to do here was. Should he follow Honey to make sure he didn't get hurt? Or should he wait for Arquis and Rin to be ready and go with them?

Rin returned the kiss softly, then pulled back. "We should get ready to go, darling." they said, a touch reluctantly. "We can continue this back at the hotel."

Honey wove through the familiar streets by himself, passing the community garden and one of the smaller markets. A woman at a booth waved at him as she set out a tray of bracelets. He flashed her a grin but kept moving. There was no time to stop. He should've left long ago. He never should have stayed at all. If his sister got hurt, it'd be entirely his fault. He should have gotten Myr kicked out. He should have insisted that Lovey and Sugar come with them on their outing. He should have done a million things differently, yet all he'd made were poor choices.

In the guest room, Arquis sighed, nodded, and caressed their cheek with his thumb. He wanted another kiss, but they were probably right. They'd stayed at Ophia's for long enough. He picked their plates off the bed—his was still otherwise untouched—and brought them to the kitchen. Though he hated to waste food, he didn't see much of a point to leaving it in the fridge, so he threw his meal out and washed the dishes. Once he was finished, he entered the sitting area and looked at Ari. Honey was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello. Is Honey in the washroom? Or," he remembered the sound of the door shutting, "has he gone?"

Rin came out to the sitting area, coming over to Ari and Arquis and rubbing their eyes. "I hope I didn't upset him." he said slowly, remembering what he had said to Honey and hoping that they had not been too harsh to the young man.

Ari sighed. "He, ah, left. I think he wanted ot get back to the hotel to check on Lovey and Sugar." he replied, standing and running a hand through his hair. "So, we should probably head out now. We won't catch him, but we'll get there eventually."

(oops I just realized I may or may not have forgotten to include that Arquis is wearing a shirt again, he wasn't during the night but he is now for sure)

Arquis took his partner's hand and kissed his palm. "You did nothing wrong, love. He was being impatient, and you were not impolite. But yes, Ari is correct. We should depart."

He quickly gave the house a once over to make sure they hadn't left anything. Luckily for them, they hadn't exactly gotten the chance to bring overnight bags or supplies, so there was pretty much nothing to forget. As soon as he was sure that they were fine to leave, he guided Rin to the door and out into the street. It took him a moment to remember which way they'd come. Things looked so bleak in the pale light of morning, as if all the color had been leeched from the sidewalks and buildings. Even the flowers looked dull.

The Cecilia Rouge wasn't as far away as he'd remembered it, for some reason, which was nice indeed. A light drizzle began about halfway into their walk. Arquis laughed quietly and shielded Rin's with his forearm. By the time they were at the doorstep of the inn, the rain was coming down in buckets. The nobleman pulled his lover and Ari inside as fast as he could. Much to his surprise, Honey was at the front desk with his sister. Lovey hurried forward and offered them a stack of heated towels from the spa.

"Oh, you're all going to catch cold!" she fretted, patting the noble's head, face, and neck with a warm cloth. Honey awkwardly shuffled up to them as well. He seemed calmer. Sugar was flopping about in his arms, wagging her tail at Ari.