forum The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

Rin carefully reached out to Honey, settling their hands on his shoulders. "Honey, you did not deserve this. I don't care what you did, you did not deserve to be hurt and beaten like this." Their heart ached for him. They had been in this same situation before. Beaten and bruised and aching, and still somehow convinced that he had deserved it somehow. "The person that did this to you is entirely at fault. I don't care who they are. You did not deserve this. And you do deserve to be treated with kindness. For people to be nice to you." They gently, very gently, rubbed soothing circles against Honey's shoulders, steering clear of any of his injuries.

Honey shook his head again, much faster than before, and latched onto Rin. He was, Arquis realized with a pang, likely too drunk to accurately remember what they had said. His face was contorted with misery and self-loathing. It was almost too hard to look at him. He was a big, gaping, bleeding wound, a sore spot of insecurity that hurt the eyes. But Arquis wasn’t going to look away. Not when Honey so clearly needed someone in his corner.

Honey’s mouth opened. Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by a gag, and then he was throwing up. Arquis thrust the wastebasket under his mouth just in time. Honey gripped the edges of it as he got rid of whatever was left in his system. He made an odd hiccuping sound when he was finished, then spat for good measure.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, “sorry, sorry. Wasn’t very attractive, now was it?”

“Perhaps we should try and get you sober,” Arquis suggested gently. He glanced back at his partner. “I could fetch some water and ice for your wrist, and perhaps Rin could find you some warm clothes to change into. Something soft and loose.”

Honey dry heaved, and Arquis winced. “Don’t need all that,” he slurred when he was done. “I’ll just go get some coffee.”

He tried to stand, bracing himself on his bad wrist and pushing upwards. His attempt at standing lasted for about a second before he crashed flat onto the bed.

"Doesn't matter whether it was attractive or not." Rin replied, nodding in agreement at Arquis's suggestion. He winced when Honey crashed down onto the bed. "Honey. Stay still, okay? Arquis is going to get you some water and ice, and we'll wrap your wrist up so you stop moving it so much. Then we'll get you some nice clothes, and you'll rest." their voice was quiet, but firm. "You'll get some sleep, and we'll talk again when you're sober."

Honey rolled over so that he was on his back. The only indication that he’d actually heard them was a small nod. He bundled the comforter around him and, shivering aggressively, propped himself up on the nearest pillow. It was lucky that he’d had his scrapes bandaged before tripping. Otherwise, he might’ve made a mess of the sheets. Not that doing so would have been an issue, but it might’ve been harder to clean.

Arquis reached out to squeeze Rin’s hand before departing for the kitchen. They didn’t have ice in their room, which meant he’d either have to get some from a chef or take some packed snow from outside. The former seemed more sanitary. He also wondered about getting Honey something warm to drink. Not coffee, but perhaps some hot tea. That, at the very least, should warm him from the inside.

While Arquis was gone, Honey turned to look at Rin. He dug his hand into the waistband of his shorts and, without warning, pulled them off. He wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Apparently, however, he’d lied to Arquis about not being hurt. There were shallow scratches along his thighs and bruises on his hips like fingerprints. Nothing that needed to be bandaged, but not nice to look at, either.

“Clothes?” he mumbled in disbelief, as if he still couldn’t believe they would help him.

Rin was busy grabbing some clothes. They ended up just grabbing some of their own, bringing them back over. They had picked soft, comfy clothes, that would help Honey be warm and comfortable. They winced when their eyes landed on the bruising and scratches on Honey's thighs. "Yeah. I've got clothes for you." they said softly. "Come here so we can get them on you." they gently helped Honey over, sliding the pants up his legs. They didn't look at anything they weren't supposed to, keeping their eyes on the ceiling as they worked the soft sweatpants up onto Honey's waist. Once the pants were on, they gently pulled the shirt over Honey's head. It was a soft, long-sleeved shirt. All articles of clothing were washed and clean, and smelled very faintly of soap. Once Honey was dressed, they gently maneuvered him back under the blankets. "There we go. Is that better?"

Honey’s brow furrowed. Confused, he tugged on the bottom of the shirt. Slid his hand over the fabric on his knee. Pinched the long sleeves, then stared at Rin. He wasn’t entirely there. It was clear that a mix of alcohol, exhaustion, pain, and fear had left him drained. But he was still conscious enough to know that something was wrong.

People didn’t put clothes on Honey. They tore them off, threw them out, left them ripped on the ground. They ruined them on purpose or stepped on them accidentally. He’d thought for a moment before Rin had gotten the clothes that they were finally getting to that part. He’d even gotten ready for him, but they hadn’t even done so much as look his way.

Arquis returned with a basket of freshly baked bread, another thermos of tea, and ice water in a large pitcher. He poured a glass of water for Honey and scooped out some of the ice, which he wrapped in one of the towels from the bathroom. The makeshift ice pack was applied onto his wrist. Arquis made a smaller one for his eye. The swelling would need to go down, if Honey wanted to be able to see through it in the next few days.

“You shouldn’t be nice to me,” Honey repeated, on the verge of crying again, and Arquis simply shook his head.

“Of course we should. Now, please have some water. You will feel much better when you wake if you hydrate.”

Honey did as he was told. He drank the water, let Arquis ice and wrap his wrist, and then, without warning, fell asleep. It didn’t look like a very restful sleep, but at least he’d be less drunk when he woke.

Arquis went to Rin’s side and lovingly wrapped them in his arms. What they’d just witnessed was a lot to handle, but he knew it’d be harder for him. “How are you feeling, love?”

Rin was quiet, gently shifting the blankets to try and help Honey be more comfortable, fidgeting faintly with his sleeves as he watched Honey fall asleep. They took a deep breath, pressing into Arquis as soon as his arms wrapped around them. "I'm okay." they said softly. "It just…I…I didn't want to be right." their voice shook for just a moment, and they pressed closer to their partner, taking a deep breath. His heart hurt, and he held onto Arquis. "I really didn't want to be." he hadn't wanted to be right, he had wanted Honey to show up and laugh and say he had been experimenting with some sort of impactplay, something consensual, whatever, and that he appreciated the worry but it wasn't necessary, but not…not this. They had never wanted to be right.

It reminded him of himself, a lot, too. The way that they had been with Lysander. Internalizing all of it, believing they deserved it, believing that they didn't deserve kindness or help. And he hated it. They hated that Honey was going through that, hated that it reminded them.

Arquis sighed and hugged them a bit more tightly, trying to get the message through that he was not alone. “I know. I was hoping that we were incorrect as well. But it is good that he trusted us enough to come here. That he is warm and safe, at least for the time being.”

Honey stirred in the bed, but he thankfully did not wake. The bite mark on his neck was hidden by a bandage, but Arquis could still picture it with ease. It was not like the loving marks he’d left on Rin while cozying up to them in bed. Someone had bitten him hard enough to hurt, with enough force to break clean through the skin. And those scratch marks on his back were awful. All of it was awful. Somebody had taken advantage of Honey. Witty, charming, brave Honey, who risked his life when first visiting Rin and Arquis’s room.

Arquis untangled himself from his partner, lowered himself onto the bed and, as gently as he could, combed Honey’s hair into place. He placed a damp cloth over his forehead to hopefully cool him off; he’d started to sweat from the stress of it all. It made Arquis terribly angry that Honey was so afraid that he was even stressed in slumber.

Once he was done, he stood and guided Rin over to a spot on the floor. He took out the thermos of tea, split it in between to glasses, and showed them the basket of bread.

“I believe we should stay here until is awake once more, but that does not mean that we cannot take care of ourselves as well. You should eat, my dear,” he murmured, taking one of his hands and kissing it.

Rin nodded. "It's good he trusted us enough to come." they agreed softly, watching as Arquis put the cloth on Honey's forehead, and settled on the floor when Arquis led them over. He took a sip of tea, nodding again. "Right. Yes. I…we need to tell someone. But I…I don't want to tell anyone without his permission, but…" he didn't know what to do. They picked up one of the small pieces of bread, looking at it, then at Arquis.

Arquis shifted closer so that they were shoulder to shoulder. He wanted more than anything to convey that he was there for Rin and would help him through this situation. Reassuringly, he kissed their hand once more, following that with a gentle massage. He was still as good at it as he had been in the carriage that one day.

“We should talk to him first. It is likely that he will have details about whoever hurt him that could be used to find and ban them from the inn. I am not sure how that is done, whether Lovey or Divinity or someone else has to get involved, but we will find a way to do it.” He took his own polite sip of his tea. Honey should have been the one to drink it, but, well, Honey wasn’t awake enough to be drinking anything. “I do agree that Lovey should be informed at some point. He will have to be the one to tell her, though we can certainly encourage him.”

Rin leaned their head on Arquis's shoulder, taking another deep breath and closing their eyes for a moment. "Yeah. I mean…it's his choice about telling anyone, but…I really hope we can convince him to talk to at least Lovey. I can't…I don't want whoever did this to be able to stay." their voice was quiet.

“He needs to talk to someone,” Arquis agreed. He kept up the massage, eventually making his way to the other hand. “This cannot continue. He is already in a bad place, and if he had not managed to get away, then he could have been severely injured. I do not trust that he will be lucky enough to escape every time.”

The gears in his mind began to click. One did not function as a child of the de Vey family without learning quite sharp deductive skills. He remembered the comment Honey had made about not having money, then the rant that had poured out of him in self-hatred. Honey thought he had done something unforgivable. Was that related to money in any way? Could that explain why he was working at The Cecilia Rouge? Or was there something else at play? That was pretty likely, given that he didn’t know much about Honey.

“We should finish breakfast first, my dear, and then we can figure out what to do until and when he wakes. I would not be opposed to reading with you for a while.”

Rin took a deep breath, nodding a little bit. "Right. Of course." He replied softly, taking a bite of his bread. "You need to eat, darling. I haven't forgotten that." They said, voice still quiet, but firm. "At least some bread, Arquis. Please." He took another bite, shaking his her for a moment, then took another sip of tea.

“Yes. Right.” Arquis blew out a breath and picked up the bread like it was an unfamiliar object. He eyed it scrutinizingly, like it would grow smaller if he stared at it enough. “I am getting to it. In a moment. Just…”

He picked up his glass of tea and threw back the contents. It was a bit too sweet for his taste, which was unusual. Whoever had made it had apparently dumped in quite a bit of sugar. He wondered if they’d had a hard time seeing in the kitchen, as it had been rather dark in there, and had mixed up measuring spoons. He supposed he shouldn’t mind. It was much better than overly bitter tea.

Now for the bread. He tore off a little piece and put it in his mouth. Not bad. He swallowed it and mechanically took another piece. It felt like there was something in his throat, a great, uncomfortable lump sealing his airway shut. But of course, there was nothing. He ate the second piece. It didn’t go down as easy as the first.

He managed two thin slices of bread without any butter and then sat back. Surely that was enough. His mind filled with excuses as for why he couldn’t have more. Honey’s injuries had thrown off his appetite. The heating was messing with his mind. He didn’t particularly like the bread. They weren’t all lies, but they weren’t the whole truth, either.

Rin ate another piece of bread, with butter on it. "Darling…can you eat just a little more? You can put butter on it if you want." He said, voice soft as they took another sip of his tea. "Please. And then you won't have to eat until dinnertime if you don't want to." They glanced over at where Honey lay on the bed, then over at Arquis again, letting out a soft, quiet breath. This was hard for them. Seeing Honey so hurt and abused, knowing the mentality the young man had…it was hard. But they weren't going to give up on him.

Arquis saw the worried look on their face and resolved to try and help lessen his stress. Despite his body’s protests, he tore off another piece of the bread and stuck it in his mouth. Still no butter—he couldn’t manage it, he just couldn’t, his mind was saying such awful things—but he chewed and swallowed until that piece was gone. And then he gently pulled Rin over so that they were in his lap, gave him a soft hug, and kissed the top of their head.

“What can I do for you right now?” The question was uttered with patience and love. “Can I find you a distraction?”

Rin leaned back against them, taking a deep breath. "Thank you for eating another one, darling." They said softly. "I know it was hard for you. And, uhm, I don't know if there's anything you can do to distract me." He smiled faintly, closing their eyes for a moment. "Just hold me, I guess. It's just…this is hard. For me. It…brings back a lot of memories and…it…it's hard." They took a deep breath, turning to rest their cheek on Arquis's shoulder, nose brushing faintly against his neck. "Sorry."

Their apology broke his heart. He kissed him again and stroked their back. “You do not have to apologize, love. Not for that. Never for that.”

His other arm slipped around their waist, pulling them so close that he could feel his every breath. He tried to sync their breathing. His own was slow and steady and grounding.

“Remember what you told Honey? You deserve to be treated with kindness. What happened to you in the past was not your fault, and struggling with it today is not, either.” He gave them a light squeeze and a peck on the forehead. “I do not say it near enough, but I am so terribly proud of you, my dear.”

He took another deep breath, nodding very slightly. "Okay. Thank you, darling." his voice was still quiet, and they stayed curled close to Arquis, wanting this closeness with him, wanting to just be held close. He took a deep breath, then another, letting their breathing sync up with Arquis's, letting it help calm and ground them.

(I don’t wanna do a full time skip to the end of the day/next day but would you be alright with skipping a few hours to when Honey wakes up? I can do the mini skip if you’d like :) )

Arquis put the rest of the bread into the basket it had come in, then tidied up the butter and knife as well. He picked up one of the candles nearby and brought it closer so that they had a bit more light. Then, he dragged one of the suitcases over to where they were.

“We will likely have quite some time until Honey wakes. He seemed rather exhausted. Would you mind if I read to you in the meantime, my love? I can keep my voice down.”

He stroked that hand over their back again and pulled out a jacket to drape over the both of them. While he wasn’t sure if Rin would agree to his suggestion, he thought it might be best to offer him some kind of temporary diversion from their worry. He’d originally planned to read alone, but this seemed like a better option.

(yeah sure, go ahead!)

Rin pressed faintly into Arquis's hand, closing their eyes and nodding a little bit. "Yeah. That would be…that would be great." they replied softly, snuggling closer to Arquis and just listening quietly when the nobleman began to read. It was nice, to have this distraction for now. To be able to just relax and not think about Honey or Lysander or anything of the sort.

(alrighty!!)

Arquis read aloud for about an hour and a half, his voice just above a whisper. When he did finally stop, it was so he could get some water and give his partner a good, long embrace. He replaced the jacket with a blanket and continued reading. Whether or not the story was actually of interest to them, he wasn’t all that sure, but he hoped that it still acted as a sort of lullaby: enchanting, soothing, reliable. He’d specifically picked one of the few books he’d brought that wasn’t dark or challenging to read. This was a comfort story, a tale of bravery and adventure on the path to find a new home.

After another long bout of reading, he heard a noise that hadn’t come from him or his partner. He closed the book and tilted his head. He wasn’t sure where it’d come from until a familiar voice greeted him.

“Whatcha reading, dreamboat?”

“Honey?” Arquis carefully moved Rin out of his lap so he could stand. Sure enough, Honey was awake. He looked pale and tired, and Arquis went around blowing out a few of the candles to help him with his hangover. When he came to the bedside again, Honey was sitting all the way up.

He caught Arquis looking and gave him a slanting grin. It was clear, however, that he had a bad headache; his brow was pinched, his features taut with pain. “Hey there, handsome. Wanna tell me why I’m in your bed? Or should I just start making assumptions?”

Rin had half-dozed after a while, curled close to Arquis, but when Arquis moved him off his lap, he blinked his eyes open, standing and coming over to the bed. "Hey, Honey." they greeted softly. "Don't…what do you remember?" they hoped Honey hadn't gorgotten everything that had happened earlier; but then, maybe it would be better? Otherwise they knew Honey would be embarrassed about what he had said earlier.

“Remember?” Honey scratched his jaw and shrugged. “Not much. Must’ve had too much to drink. What’d you give me? Whiskey? Champagne?”

He went to stretch and froze. His eyes flickered over his wrapped wrist, and he lifted his other hand to prod the space around his black eye. Something dark came over his face, but it was quickly chased by remembrance. All of the air rushed out of him at once. It was like he’d taken a hard kick to the stomach. What little color had been left in his cheeks disappeared completely.

“Oh. Shit.” Honey swallowed and bit his lip. He looked, all of the sudden, very sad. He wasn’t crying, but this was somehow worse. “I’m sorry. I’m real sorry.”

"We didn't give you anything but water." Rin said quietly, reaching out to gently touch Honey's shoulder, trying to comfort him a little bit. "And it's…it's okay. We told you you could come to us, and we meant it." they glanced over at Arquis, then back at Honey, giving the young man the faintest of smiels.