They kept holding onto him. "Thank you, darling." they replied softly. "But all I did was sit and read with my shirt off for two hours." he smiled at Arquis. "You are the one that did all the work of turning my sitting there into a marvelous drawing." he liked giving Arquis compliments; it cost them nothing, and it made Arquis feel good about himself. It was a win win situation, as far as Rin knew.
“Thank you, my love. Thank you.” Arquis was smiling brightly. The compliments made him feel like he’d downed a whole lot of champagne. He was flushed and giddy, and there was that strange, warm feeling in his stomach.
He rolled over so that he was on top of them like before. Gently, so as not to hurt him, he settled against them. He then realized that their chest was still somewhat bare, and he instantly propped himself on his forearms, unsure of whether Rin would want him near. It did seem as if they weren’t as self-conscious about his upper half as Arquis, but that didn’t mean he would always be comfortable with Arquis touching it.
He looked at them affectionately. “Is it alright to touch you? Not like, um, that, but just…”
Rin's hands came up to gently rest against Arquis's sides, looking up at him with a soft, fond smile. "You may, Arquis." He consented, still giving him a sweet, gentle smile. They gently rubbed their thumbs against Arquis's side, feeling the fabric of his shirt beneath their hands. He liked this. Liked being here with him, liked cuddling with him and laughing with him.
“Alright,” he murmured, lowering himself against him once again. When he felt Rin’s hand on his side, he nearly melted. A breathy laugh escaped him. He hid his face in their neck, letting his lips brush the hollow of his throat as he spoke. “Oh, please keep doing that.”
How he had lived his entire life without this, he was not sure. It was wonderful. He felt drunk without drinking a drop. No, that wasn’t quite right. Drunkenness was loneliness and pain and bright lights and everything moving too fast and swells of horrid, inescapable nausea. It was regret and humiliation; it was vulnerability and risk. This was different.
"Mm." Rin continued with the gentle movements of his thumbs, holding onto Arquis. He shivered very slightly at the breathy laughter against his skin, at the way Arquis's mouth brushed along his throat. "Ah, darling…" He trailed off, unsure what he would even say.
Arquis backed off slightly, worried that he’d upset them. He couldn’t read the tone of his voice, and, well, that faint trembling could have meant anything. People often shivered when they were scared or nervous. Had he made them anxious?
“Is something the matter?” he asked, concern bleeding into the words. If it were another situation, perhaps the question would have been teasing, but there was no hint of flirtatiousness present. He had made a promise not to do anything Rin didn’t want him to. There was no way he was going back on that promise.
He looked up at Arquis, confused for a moment, then his gaz cleared. "Oh! No, nothing's the matter, it just…it feels nice." They admitted. "Nothing's wrong." They were grateful for the check-in, though, grateful to have a partner whose first instinct was to make sure they were okay. It was nice to have that. He reached up to gently bring Arquis in for a kiss.
Arquis’s shoulders relaxed, and he allowed himself to be tugged in for the kiss. Just before his lips pressed into theirs, he paused, retreated just a fraction of an inch, and smiled coyly.
“It feels nice, indeed. Hopefully this will feel even better.”
When he kissed them, he started out gentle. One of his hands skated up his side and combed through their hair, his knuckles lightly brushing his scalp. Slowly, as he deepened the kiss, he moved the hand down to cup the nape of their neck. He traced a line with his fingers down to the collar of their shirt. Then, after a moment, he shifted so that his thumb was gently touching the hollow of their throat. It was mimicking the kiss he’d given him just beforehand. He grinned against them and broke away. Still smiling, he replaced the thumb with his mouth, skimming one of his canines against his skin.
“Still alright?” he breathed when he moved away again.
Rin returned the kiss eagerly, eyes flickering shut and shivering again when Arquis's mouth traveled down to their throat, biting their lower lip for a moment when he felt teeth on his skin. "Shit, Arquis, darling, you seem determined to unravel me." he breathed, taking a deep breath, then another.
Arquis hummed and leaned in again, encouraged by their response. This time, he nipped very gently at that same spot, then put his lips there. He repeated the process once or twice. The biting grew a bit harder, but not anywhere near hard enough to bruise. He wasn’t sure if they’d want that, and he definitely didn’t want to hurt him.
“I am a firm believer that a bit of unraveling now and then,” he paused, pressing an extra long kiss to their collarbone, “can be a rather wonderful thing. Though I would certainly be more proficient at it, my love, if you gave me a bit of guidance.”
Rin's head tipped back a little bit more, giving Arquis plenty of room to work over their throat. A few faint sounds managed to leak from his mouth, and they trembled again for just a moment. "I don't believe you need my guidance, you, ah, seem to be doing quite well on your own." they replied quietly, grip tightening faintly on Arquis's sides.
Arquis groaned softly when he changed their grip. He brought his mouth back to their neck and hovered for a second, then trailed up to his right earlobe, which he lightly tugged with his teeth. He kissed all the way down to their collarbones and stopped right in the middle. Almost curiously, he blew a gentle puff of air over one of the places he’d bitten.
“Quite well, hm?” He moved again and, grinning, nipped at their pulse point. He kissed it sweetly afterwards. “I was hoping for a bit better than just quite well. Perhaps I need more practice.”
He shivered and then squirmed at the puff of air. "Darling, I really don't think you need more practice, you really are destroying me." he breathed, trembling again at all the attention Arquis was giving to his pulse point. "You're…it's…it's a lot."
That made Arquis pause. Carefully, he pulled away, the only remaining touch being his hand under their chin. He tipped his head so that he could see their expression.
“Too much?” he murmured. “Say the word and I will stop, if that is what you need. But if you would like me to proceed, then I will gladly continue.”
He was having quite a bit of fun, but that fun wasn’t worth their discomfort. If they needed a break—or wanted to stop entirely—then he would provide one.
Rin shook their head faintly. "I'm, ah, I'm fine." they replied softly. "I don't mind if you leave marks, either, by the way. It's…well." he didn't know how to express that he did not mind marks on their skin. That Arquis leaving marks behind was something he almost…desired, in some way.
Arquis couldn’t describe the feeling that rushed through him. He only knew that it was very pleasant. Eagerly, he swept down to their throat, leaving them a necklace of fast, breathless kisses. After he was satisfied with that, he chose a spot on the right side. He hesitated for just a second, letting his breath warm his skin, before lowering his mouth against it. His lips parted as he applied pressure. About fifteen seconds passed before he broke off. He gave them a loving peck on the cheek before returning to that same area and repeating the process.
Once he was done, he pulled away to observe his handiwork. There was no mark yet. That would probably take time. He hoped that he’d done it right; he didn’t have much experience in this field. Either way, he at least hoped it felt nice.
He cupped Rin’s cheek and kissed his brow. “How was that, love?”
Rin let out a few more soft, almost needy sounds at the kisses along their throat, taking a deep breath when he pulled away. "I…that was…that was wonderful, darling." he whispered. "Though, to leave, ah, marks, you might need to suck to give a hickey, if that's the intention." they held onto Arquis.
“Ah. Well, I supposed I will have to try again,” Arquis said smoothly, giving them a flash of a wicked grin before doing exactly as they’d said. When he was finished with that spot, he switched to the other side of his throat, then did it all over again. And when that was done, he massaged both areas very gently with the pads of his thumbs. Neither had blossomed with a mark, but he really did suspect that would take a bit of time. Bruising typically did.
“Was that better, my dear?” He was quite out of breath, which had given his voice a raspy quality.
He really couldn't help the little sounds that kept leaving him; he was sensitive, and Arquis knew it. "Fuck. That was…that was lovely." they breathed, swallowing and opening their eyes to look up at Arquis, trembling for just a moment. "See? You did not need my guidance to drive me crazy."
Arquis smiled triumphantly, feeling rather proud of himself. “I needed a bit of guidance,” he admitted, acting way too bashful for someone who’d given his partner two separate love bites. He settled against him and rested his head over their heart.
“I think I would combust if you did the same to me.” He laughed and tapped one of the sensitive places on their neck, like they’d need a reminder of what he meant. In reality, Arquis was just hoping that Rin would make another one of those wonderful sounds.
Rin stuck out his tongue, then let out another faint noise at the tap. "You are a monster." they said teasingly, laughing a little bit. "Teasing me like this and then telling me you would combust if I returned the action is simply monstrous." he took a deep breath, gently rubbing his thumbs against Arquis's side again.
Arquis went oddly still.
“A monster?” he repeated softly. He knew Rin was joking. They had to be joking. He would never hurt him like that, and they’d said it with a laugh. Surely, then, it was in jest.
But Arquis didn’t laugh.
“A monster?” he said again, pulse speeding up for a different reason. They didn’t know. They couldn’t know. He hadn’t told him. But still. It was the same word that people used when they spread rumors about him, muttering it in the dark corners of ballrooms and spitting it as he passed by.
“You- you think I am- I am a monster.” That last part wasn’t a question. It was a statement, as if he’d come to accept it.
Rin almost immediately sobered as they realized what their words had done. "Oh. No, darling, I don't think you're a monster. I was…I meant to tease you." They shifted their arms to wrap around Arquis in an embrace. "I could never see you as a monster, darling." Lysander was a monster. Arquis could never be. Not in Rin's eyes, not in their mind. "I am so, so sorry."
“Oh,” Arquis mumbled softly, relief crashing into him.
He relaxed, but it took him a little while. His breath gradually shifted from shallow and labored to steady. He nodded, sank against them again, and kissed his partner’s cheek.
Of course. It really had been a joke. He should’ve paid better attention, should’ve focused on the context. He prayed he hadn’t just made everything awkward. What they’d been doing together before had been so, so very nice, and he hated that he might’ve spoiled the moment. Though perhaps it wasn’t too late to change it around for the better.
“Do not apologize, love. You did not mean it in the way that I heard it. I recognize that now,” he said softly. Once that was out of the way, he tried for a charming smile. It worked. And it wasn’t fake, either. “The way that you did mean it, however, is of great interest. Teasing me, hm?”
Rin held him as he gradually calmed down, rubbing Arquis's back gently in order to help soothe him. "I am still sorry that I said something that hurt you, even if I did not mean it to." they returned the smile, nodding. "Yes, I was teasing you, because you were teasing me."