With a Twist and a Twirl, They Disappeared into the Fog (o/o closed)

Elluin paused near the benches along the side of the bathhouse, still watching his Human lover with a smile. He laughed at the awe on Gray's face, gently touching his cheek and drawing both his hands back.
"So… This is a bathhouse, and it is just you and I…" He cleared his throat awkwardly before pulling on the top of his robes. He was pretty comfortable around Gray, mostly for the reason that they had been very close before Elluin had to leave. They had seen a lot of each other, whether it was intentional or it was on purpose.
The Elf folded his robes carefully, setting it down on the bench and bounding off to grab a couple towels. He wore a thin undershirt that wasn't quite as long as his robes, but not as short as a shirt, just barely reaching his knees.

He came back holding two towels and the basket of soaps, setting down the towels and holding up the basket for Gray to take a look at. "A scholar around here likes to make soap. They said that a Human taught them how, and sometimes other Elves like to make them out of magic." Elluin picked up a small lavender colored one, showing it to Gray like an excited child, still smiling despite his red cheeks. "This one's my favorite. I like the lavender ones they make."

"Yeah, it feels dumb to be excited about, but take your pick." Elluin handed Gray the basket and put the bar of soap he picked down on the bench as he picked up the borrowed robe to refold it. They had to be quite careful when it came to their clothes since it was mostly made of silk, and silk could crease pretty easily in hot areas like this one. Once he was convinced everything was in order, Elluin made his way over to one of the deep pools and stepped in carefully as he removed his undershirt, sinking under into the blue water. The water made his thin hair wet and a deep gray color as it got wet, and the heat made his feet and legs tingle. He submerged himself for a few moments, making sure to get his hair completely wet before popping back up to look around for Gray, smiling wetly up at him.
"Hop on in! The water is great." He beckoned the other with a long hand. "Be careful though, it might be a little deep."

Elluin watched his Human lover after shaking out his hair, causing shiny droplets to scatter off of their long curls. They looked up as Gray got situated in the pool, adoring the steam floating around the bathhouse and reacting with the sunlight streaming in, making every molecule of air sparkle like stars. Elluin glanced back down when he heard Gray reemerge from the water, smiling brightly at his sopping wet companion.
"Oh, thank you, my love," Elluin hummed back shyly, flushing red as he sunk down in the water to be at his level, pressing a small kiss to his nose and cheeks. "You look so cute when you're amazed like that, you know. I've never seen you so relaxed and happy before." Elluin glanced around for their soaps, reaching up out of the water to grab the bar of soap he brought over. Those same droplets flowed down his long arms and lanky waist, splashing down to the water around his pale hips as he stretched to grab the soap he picked, turning around to present it to Gray. "Want help washing off?" He rose his eyebrows a little.

Elluin seemed clueless or simply apathetic to Gray's internal struggle despite his cheeks being flushed red. He smiled more at the kiss and Gray's breathy whisper, giggling softly as he leaned down to his level again to give him a kiss on his lips.
"I'm glad to be with you again, too. I've never felt happier here than now and earlier. When I first saw you again outside…" His eyes widened a little with the memory as started washing Gray off, collecting suds in his hand and washing his chest for him, careful to pick off mud and dried specks with careful and loving fingers. He wasn't really able to emotionally express how much he adored his Gray except through nicknames and acts of service, both of which Elluin did too often. Whenever he could he always set himself to help his king by finding small things to do around the castle to ease burden off of him. "But it's so amazing to be with you again, Gray. I missed you so much, and I hope you know that."

Elluin looked up at Gray as the other spoke, his smile fading and an awkward shrug hunching his shoulders at the tease. "Right, I feel like I didn't say it enough. Sorry." His gaze flitted back up from where he was washing and nodded a couple times. "I longed for you too. I grieved for so long, longer than I could remember when I heard your kingdom fell. Then I heard you disappeared, that no one knew where you were…" Elluin's shoulders shuttered as he recalled how upset he was. He was actually in the process of trying to get over it, the loss of someone so important to him disappearing without a last word to anyone. Never seeing Gray again alive was just heartbreaking to Elluin. The rumors of a crestfallen, human-obsessed Elf suddenly came up in spur of it, too, making everything worse. The thought made him tear up despite Gray sitting right in front of him. "I was just so happy. I still am. It's so amazing to see you."

Elluin gave a soft laugh at the kiss to his hands, also allowing himself to be pulled down and kissed on the forehead. He sniffled softly and rubbed tears from his eyes with his wrist, nodding a few times.
"It wasn't your fault, Gray, I don't blame you at all. Not even a little. There was no way you could tell me without risking your safety and anonymity, and that's okay. I didn't expect you to try and find me, though. It was such a welcome suprise!" He laughed as he tried to hold back his tears for the third time that day, shaking his head at himself. "I don't want to leave you ever again. I'm leaving here with you and never coming back if it means I can stay with you and serve you." Elluin leaned into Gray's arms, hugging him tight against their body. He gripped Gray's bare skin soldifiying to himself that his lover was truly here with him, as they pressed their bodies together in a strong embrace.

Elluin laughed over his tears, a couple falling over his hook in his nose, raising a hand to wipe at his tears for the second time, pinching the bridge of his nose. Reflecting now on how he felt about Gray being dead felt stupid; Gray was way too stubborn to die, wasn't he?
"I want to leave, though. I'm– I don't like it here. I belong with you and the kingdom we'll make together." He pulled out of the hug with another deep sniffle, hugging his head and shaking it a couple times in his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm just dumb. I was so afraid for you. I thought I'd never get to see you again after I left. I know the last time we saw each other was just… sad. I was so upset to leave and I didn't want that to be the last impression of me. Not only that but I just wanted you to be safe and happy. You didn't deserve it all to crumble and end like that. You deserve another chance and help." Elluin looked down at his hands as he slipped the soap between his palms, tears still falling off of his nose that he didn't bother to wipe away anymore.

Elluin allowed Gray to stroke and assure him, leaning close so he could hear the whispers, tilting his head and blinking away tears that blurred his vision. Other than literally being naked, he figuratively felt really emotionally bare which already something that didn't happen very often among Elves and their lovers. He had never been emotional with Gray either, allowing himself to stomach all of Gray's stress and process it into pure love and support for the Human. That was his role, and he was really okay with that, but he had come to a breaking point upon reflecting on his fear. He nodded against Gray's head though, letting him reassure him in that gentle voice Elluin fell in love with after their first night together. Everything was okay. Gray was safe, and they'd be safer yet when they could get back to a place where they'd both be happy. Upon further thought, Elluin could be stuck in the pits of Hell with Gray and still be happy and content in some way.
"Yeah, everything will go back to normal," Elluin repeated shakily, inhaling sharply through shaky lips. He rose his hands to join their fingers, nodding a couple more times to himself.

Elluin nodded a couple more times to themself, taking one of their hands back to rub at their eyes after the kisses he received. "I love you too, my king, my love, my Gray. Yeah, I'm feeling a little better. You know when to use your special voice with me." He laughed softly, a light smile gracing his lips through his tear-stained cheeks. "You look chilly, here, let's sink under together okay?" He tilted his head away and sunk against the wall, pulling Gray with him by his arms. He cupped warm water into his palms and splashed them onto his face, trying to relax a little, and rubbing his inflamed eyes with a few soft sniffles. "It's so weird being this emotional for me, but I just… I can't help it. When I saw you I forgot everything except just pure emotion and…" He shook his head and dipped his head under the water for a few moments, his hair floating around his head.

As Elluin shook his hair out again, scattering water and getting warm drops everywhere, but glancing at Gray as he spoke. Elluin didn't seem to think it was funny, for they shrugged their shoulders at the other with an uncomfortable grimace, rubbing the back of his head. Elluin picked up that it was a joke, and gestured at that with a meek grin of his own as he rubbed the water off of his face.
"I just think it's easier to help you, Gray," The Elf mumbled quietly, clearing his throat softly and looking down at his now empty hands with a second shrug. "I just don't like being transparent. I like helping you. I enjoy making you smile and laugh by any means necessary. But um… yeah, I like your special voice. You kind of take a higher tone that I haven't heard you take with anyone else but me. It's the special voice. It's your voice for me, and I like that." He glanced up at Gray with a grin.

Elluin nodded as he looked at the other, but allowed the conversation to slip away. It simply wasn't worth it to him getting angry over something that was intended to be a joke as harmless as that one. Gray himself just said that it was new territory…
"Yeah, you do have a special voice," Elluin repeated instead, smiling a little brighter as he collected some suds on his hands and ran his fingers through Gray's hair instead to wash it. It took a few times with the bar of soap, but eventually his hair was all sudsy and grey from the dirt in it as Elluin massaged his scalp. "I don't think you noticed because you were usually too tired to notice. You'd come and find me and we'd go to bed together as we did… our routine and such. You were usually quiet but I knew that's because, well, the long day–" The Elf interrupted with a nervous laugh– "and we'd get into bed and you'd look at me and say 'good night, my sun and clouds', in that voice you used. I always looked forward to it because even though I didn't understand what it meant, it was special to you. I didn't get how I was the sun and clouds to you… but it felt right. It made me go to bed feeling really warm and comfy. More so than usual of course."

Elluin leaned off of him to start washing himself off with the same bar of soap with careful hands, glancing up occasionally to just take in Gray for a few moments. "Well, I guess…" He laughed nervously again. "You always seemed to happy to call me those names. Like you'd been thinking about them real hard, and just holding on to them for me." He grinned with Gray's smile, meeting his eyes. "I miss those nights, too." Elluin happened to remember more because he hadn't spend years trying to forget it. In fact probably the opposite– he had spent a while mourning over those memories and feeling as if he hadn't appreciated his lover enough. He missed listening to Gray breathing softly as he slept in their arms, stroking his hair and making sure everything was set up for Gray to wake up the next morning and go about his business. It would be during this time as well that they both would talk and enjoy each other's company the most, which really meant a lot to Elluin. It was then that he was able to learn things about Gray that no one else would be able to know except for Elluin, those small details that no one really notices.
"Though, you and I can go back to that lifestyle soon. Though, I suppose I'll be helping out more if we're going to be married…" He trailed off into his own thoughts as he idly rubbed at his chest at the same place.

Elluin smiled out of his own thoughts, blinking at Gray a couple times from his sad memories. There wasn't any need to mope around about it anymore; Gray was right here in front of him, smiling and reflecting with him.
"That's really sweet– I didn't know that. I always thought you just came up with it on the spot, but there were a few times where I thought it was more." He laughed softly leaning forward and offering the soap at the mention of help. "I need help reaching my back." Elluin leaned down into the water, suds floating off of his chest as he submerged himself in the water. He sighed in relief as he let it soak into his lanky limbs, soothing his joints that constantly worked to move him around. He hasn't been able to relax like this since, well, ever. He only really bathed for the sake of being washed and clean, and didn't do it very often.

Elluin snickered at him gently as he sunk deeper into the water, tilting his head a little as he felt the soap slip away from the nape of his neck. "You're so cute, Gray, I honestly forgot." Elluin laughed genuinely again, yawning as he was massaged and humming. "Well, if you're ready to go, I can check if Voron came back with your clothes." Though, he didn't move, just leaned back into Gray's arms at the suggestion. "I know you got me." He shifted and turned around a little to take a look at Gray, smiling shyly as he relaxed against his chest. "Is there anything else I could do for you, Gray? We haven't eaten yet, but I did say we'd eat when we got back home. If you're hungry now we can leave. Water feels nice on my bones."

"Ah, alright, but I'm not going to let you starve yourself for much longer, Gray." The Elf laughed again, but he was visibly worried at the mention of not being hungry. He ran his fingers through Gray's wet hair, sighing down at him and tilting his head to look at him. A sign of not getting enough food was usually not feeling hungry, and surely Gray didn't eat much on his travels. Elluin pulled the other under the water with him anyway, sinking so they were face level again and folding his legs up comfortably on the floor with a grin, pressing a kiss to his cupid's arrow. "Only a little bit longer, then we can eat and plan to travel. I'll have to clean up my house… we should also talk about, well, running the kingdom too. I know I did a good bit of that economically, so I think once we find some neutral people in this war on our travels back home we can– oh, I'm sorry." He flushed as he realized he was rambling, rubbing the back of their head. "I'm just excited. I think you and I can really make a difference together."