Arquis went pink at Rin’s protectiveness. He kissed their head, not caring if Honey saw or not. When he looked back, the young man’s expression had changed. He couldn’t exactly place it, but it seemed to be somewhere between hurt and indignant.
“Of course not. I never do anything without consent,” he said. Was that a note of humiliation in his voice? Was Arquis imagining that wounded look in his eyes? Had the kiss actually upset him? “And I’m not beating around the bush. I already told you what I want.”
“We cannot tell you why we are really here.” Arquis patted Rin’s arm comfortingly. Honey wasn’t a threat to them, not really. He was irritatingly perceptive and a little much, but he didn’t actually seem like he wanted to hurt them. “But I promise that we are not planning to do anyone any harm.”
“My hunch was right, then. You’re hiding from someone, aren’t you?”
“We are. Which is why it is really important that you keep our identities hidden from everyone else here.”
“Okay. Okay, yeah.” Honey stood. All of his composure and bravado had vanished. He wouldn’t look at either of them anymore, and he wasn’t smiling. He really did look quite sad. “Okay. I won’t tell a soul, not even my sister. And, uh, I’m real sorry about all this.”
"Thank you, Honey." Rin said, gentler this time when they saw the hurt in the young man's face. "You were just doing your job, though you were quite pushy about it. But in any case, you have our thanks for not telling anyone. People might come looking, and…well, we need them to not be able to find us."
(I made Honey as a throwaway character for drama but he’s actually kinda sweet lol)
Honey smiled at the praise, though it was a much softer smile than before. Arquis realized that the previous grins and gestures were most likely faked. He wasn’t certain, but it seemed like a possibility, especially considering the change in personality. How much of it had been an act?
“I’m sorry for being pushy. It all just clicked, and I thought it was urgent, y’know? If you really were here to hurt someone, then I couldn’t take any chances.”
“You risked your life coming here without backup,” Arquis realized. Saying the sentence aloud felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. Honey’s expression told him that he was feeling the same.
“Wouldn’t say that.” He looked at Rin, then at the ground. “But I will still say that I’m sorry. For all the flirting and junk, if it made you uncomfortable. People typically like the attention, and they’re usually less aggressive when you compliment them. Well, maybe not usually. Just sometimes.”
He reached up and subconsciously scratched at his cheek. His fingertips came away slightly lighter. He was wearing eyeshadow.
“But anyways, yeah, your secret’s safe with me. Let me know if you guys need anything, okay?”
(lol yeah)
They nodded faintly. "Okay. You have our thanks." Rin said, though they kept their arm wrapped around Arquis's shoulder protectively. He knew Honey wasn't a threat, that everything was fine, but they were still feeling a bit riled up about all of this.
Honey gave them each one last nod before leaving. The door locked behind him. Arquis watched him go, unsure of how to feel. On the one hand, he didn’t appreciate the surprise security check, but on the other he was a tad worried. People wore colored eyeshadow for artistic or aesthetic purposes. Nude eyeshadow was usually to cover bruises. Had someone hurt him? Was that what he’d meant by aggressive? Maybe it wasn’t any of his business.
Arquis readjusted so that he and Rin were embracing. He kissed at their jaw. “That was a lot. You feel quite tense. Still worked up, love?” He nuzzled into his neck, letting out a nervous sigh. “I certainly am.”
Rin took a deep breath, holding onto Arquis. "Sorry, darling." they said softly. "He just…barged in and grabbed at you, and I got worried. I didn't know if…" if maybe they had both been in danger from this man, if they were going to be killed or hurt for an unknown reason. "Are you alright? I know you had the brunt of…everything."
“I am still quite rattled, but I really do feel better now,” Arquis responded, kissing his forehead. It was true. Rin’s hugs always made him feel safe and warm, even when he was in a negative mood. “I really do not think he meant us harm, though he was very frightening at first. I thought he might have been hired to hurt us. Or… or do worse.”
He took a step back and lifted their chin with his fingers. His eyes creased in the corners as he smiled. They’d had enough drama and pain for one morning. He wanted to reassure them; he wanted to make him happy.
“It was quite attractive when you stood up for me, my dear.”
He nodded, giving Arquis a faint smile in return. "I'm glad you think so, darling." he replied. "Though I believe you were quite attractive as well." they leaned forward in order to give Arquis a soft kiss. "We're both fine, though." he still felt a little on edge, but far less than they had been earlier.
“Mm, yes, we are alright. Considering the world appears either unable or unwilling to grant us a break, we seem to be managing everything very well.”
The kiss had made him gasp quietly, and when they’d pulled away to speak again, he’d felt a tad disappointed. Soft kisses were turning out to be his favorite. He smiled at them and stroked their chin.
“Kiss me again?”
He hummed faintly, then leaned in to give Arquis what he had requested, kissing him again and again. His kisses were still soft and gentle and sweet, no matter how numerous they happened to be.
Arquis felt like he was melting. His legs grew weaker and weaker with every kiss until he was basically entwined with him. Their hips were pressed gently together, and he could feel their every breath as if it was his own. He couldn’t stop making soft, pleased sounds; they were incredible at what they were doing.
“Rin,” he murmured, needy from bliss, breaking off for a second and then going back for more. Rin was basically holding him up at this point. He trusted him not to let him fall.
They held onto the nobleman, quite content to just let him lean against them. "Darling." he breathed against Arquis's lips, still kissing him. They reached up to cup the back of Arquis's head, slowly deepening the kisses. They were careful not to move too fast, careful not to do anything that Arquis might not be comfortable with.
That word made Arquis groan quietly against their mouth. After a little longer, he very gently bit their bottom lip, taking care not to actually hurt him. He followed that with another slow, deep kiss, then pulled away. He was still close enough that he was wrapped around him, but he had put enough distance so that he could check their expression.
“Was that alright? Did I go too far?” he asked. He didn’t know it because he couldn’t see himself, but he looked unkempt. His hair was ruffled—strands of it had fallen into his face—and his lips were slightly swollen.
Rin let out his own groan into the kisses and after the bite, taking deep breaths once Arquis had pulled away. "That was perfect, darling." he whispered. They themself looked rather unkempt and messy, their hair sticking up in rumpled strands, mouth flushed and swollen from all of their kissing. "You look wonderful." they added the words in a soft, almost teasing tone.
“Oh goodness, Rin,” Arquis panted, the praise doing all sorts of lovely things to his mind. He became very aware that the top buttons of his shirt were still undone, and when he looked down he could see that he was flushing all the way down his neck. He hastily tried to fix the buttons. The gloves wouldn’t let him. Though they were thinner than most pairs he owned, they still didn’t allow him to do much delicate work.
To try and take the focus away from himself, he blurted, “It seems I was correct. You do have a bit of a thing for, ah, biting, do you not?” That was the wrong choice of conversation. He shook his head, still fumbling to do up the buttons. “My apologies, that was not what I- that was not what I meant to ask.”
He laughed. "I, ah, suppose so. Just a little bit. If that makes you uncomfortable, then you obviously do not have to do anything like that, if you do not wish to." their gaze flickered over Arquis, moving over the flush covering his skin, and a smile tugged at their lips. "Honey had an excellent point: I do wonder how far down that blush of yours goes." they gently curled a hand over Arquis's hip, tugging him closer.
“Uncomfortable? Not quite. Interested, however…” Arquis trailed off. The mention of his blush had made him shiver, but their hand on his hip was really what did it. He stopped with the buttons and smiled at them, hoping he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. It was the good kind of nervous; the anticipatory kind, not the brand of anxiety that he normally had.
“You also seem quite interested,” he teased, taking note of the way they looked at his chest.
Strangely enough, confidence had begun to blossom within him. Perhaps it was leftover adrenaline from the Honey situation, or perhaps it was just the proximity and really, really good kissing, but he suddenly felt better about himself. Not fully comfortable in his skin, but still better. He pinched two parts of his shirt nearest to the next button down and gave them a gentle tug. The button came undone. It didn’t expose much at all, just a tad bit more of his collarbones. He’d done it as a joke, and he looked down at Rin, expecting them to laugh.
Rin hummed for a moment. "I am quite interested." they replied, lower lip catching in his teeth for a moment when Rin undid a button. "Now you're teasing me, you terrible man." he laughed a little, leaning forward to tuck his face into the crook of Rin's neck, pressing a long kiss against his skin. They were very tempted to suck a hickey into Rin's throat, but refrained; they weren't sure if he would be comfortable with that.
(I think you might’ve accidentally switched Arquis and Rin’s names which made a very silly mental image lol)
Arquis inhaled sharply. Out of all the things he’d been expecting, he hadn’t been prepared for them to go for his neck. Was that another thing of his? They’d kissed his neck the previous night in the bath as well. He wasn’t sure that he minded. He could barely form a single thought. Their lips were on his throat, and that was all he could think about.
He realized somewhere in the midst of the kiss that he was making a very improper, soft sound. Embarrassed, he cut it off, trying instead for a sentence. What he game up with was a jumbled mess of words that didn’t quite make sense.
“You- you- I was not teasing, I- goodness.”
(lmfao I did, my apologies)
"You absolutely were." Rin replied, pulling back after a moment and shooting Arquis a smirk. "You are absolutely terrible, my darling, teasing me thus." his hand was still resting on Arquis's hip, and he rubbed his thumb back and forth against Arquis. They pressed their lips to Arquis's jaw.
(lol it’s alright it happens)
“And what do you call your actions? Are- are they not teasing as well?” Arquis countered, the end of the sentence rocketing up to a breathy squeak. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but goodness, it was wonderful.
Somewhere in the blissed-out mess that was his mind, the thought surfaced that he should be doing more for Rin. He shifted so that their lips were pressed to his once more and then moved a hand to cup the nape of his neck. The soft, silky material of his glove ghosted against their skin as he stroked it in slow, unsteady circles.
Rin hummed. "I suppose they are, yes." he agreed, kissing Arquis back. He shivered faintly at the touch of Arquis's glove to the skin of his neck, and they nipped faintly at Arquis's lower lip. He let out a quiet, soft sound, using his grip on the nobleman's hip to tug him closer, deepening the kiss at the same moment.
After about thirty more seconds of kissing, Arquis stumbled away, heart hammering in his chest. He grabbed the closest bedpost to steady himself and took a few long, deep breaths.
“My apologies, love. Everything is alright. It just appears that I am a bit, ah, sensitive. More so than I had anticipated,” he explained shyly. “I did not want to go any further without your consent. Stepping away seemed the best option to avoid, um, escalation.”
Rin released him as soon as Arquis made any motion to pull away, their eyes flickering open. His gaze moved over Arquis as the nobleman spoke, and he laughed a little bit. "Arquis, we can go as far as you wish to." they replied in a soft voice. "I would like to go further, darling, but we will only go as far as you wish to, and no furhter."
“I am not sure what I want,” Arquis admitted. His insecurities had returned in full force. As much as he tried not to be ashamed of the way he looked, part of him wanted to bury himself in a blanket and never emerge.
“I am afraid,” he started, shook his head, then tried again. “I am afraid that you will not like what you see if we do. I am afraid that I will disappoint you or make you upset or somehow ruin everything. But I also want to go further. I do. I just… I do not know how.”
