Rin curled up against Arquis's side immediately, resting their head on his shoulder. "You are very light, for your height, my darling." he said, very softly. "And I didn't want you to die, so I carried you because I had to. You needed me to do it." he kissed his partner's cheek softly, looking at Arquis with a soft, gentle gaze.
Arquis placed his hand on their hip and drew a heart with his thumb, then another. He trailed that hand over to his stomach, tickling them, before bringing it up over their heart. There was that same reverence to his movements as before, as if he was worshipping them. He returned his soft gaze with a bashful look of his own. That blush of his deepened.
“No more speaking of death and other ills for tonight, my dear. No more talk of sad things. We are together, and that is wonderful.” He closed the slight gap between them, though he didn’t go in for the kiss yet. Instead, he asked, “Kiss me?”
He couldn't help the laughter that escaped him at the tickling, looking up at Arquis with a soft, pleased little smile. He leaned forward to press his mouth to Arquis's, eyelids flickering shut as he pressed a long, soft kiss to his partner's mouth. He reached up to wrap his arms around Arquis's shoulders, pulling the nobleman closer.
Arquis practically went boneless when Rin kissed him and, after remembering how to think, covered their body with his own. He groaned softly when he felt their arms over his shoulders. Acting entirely on impulse, he pressed them further into the plush mattress and kissed him with more fervor. He occasionally nipped at their lower lip, then tangled his hand in his hair, angling his head so that he could gain access to their neck.
“So beautiful,” he whispered, leaving a series of messy kisses along their jaw. His breathing grew slightly erratic; he wondered if they could feel the change against his skin. “I am the luckiest man in the world.”
His breath sharpened just a bit at the nip, and he easily let Arquis tip their head back, eyelids still shut. He shivered for a moment at the way Arquis's breath ghosted along his skin, their own breath growing slightly uneven. "Darling– I am still ill, and I would hate for you to catch it." they breathed, swallowing softly.
Arquis hesitated. That sounded like Rin wanted him to stop, and if that was the case, then he would do exactly that. But it also could have been a reminder or a number of other things. He certainly wouldn’t resume his actions until the meaning of it was clarified.
“Ah. Would you like me to stop, then?” he asked. Not murmured, not whispered against their throat. It was a clear, well-spoken question that needed a clear, well-spoken answer. “Or would you prefer to continue? I am alright with either option, my love.”
He took a soft breath, opening his eyes to look up at his partner. "You don't…you don't need to stop, I just…I do not want you catching ill from me, my love." he replied in a soft tone, their mouth pulling into a gentle little smile.
(I forgot Ari was still in the hall fhfhdhfhfj it’d be kinda funny if he walked back in during this)
Arquis returned the smile before dipping back down to bring their lips together. After a rather sweet, soft kiss, he broke away to whisper, “That is a risk I will gladly take.” He trailed his hands down to their sides, giving him a gentle squeeze on each hip. His gaze turned light and teasing. “Though perhaps I should put my mouth to use elsewhere?”
Waiting for a response, he hovered his lips over their neck once more. He wanted to leave another mark there to match the others. If Rin wasn’t feeling well or was too tired for it, however, then he would return to cuddling and kissing. It all depended on what they desired.
(lmfao me too tbh)
He returned the kiss, smiling a bit as he returned it. He cared so much about Arquis. Loved him. And the suggestion was, well. Made him wonder. "I…oh." he said faintly, looking at his lover. "Depends where you want to put it." he was quiet for a moment, then sat up a little. "Ari's waiting in the hall, though. Should we…should I go tell him to go back to his own room and we'll see him in the morning?"
Oh, this he could work with. Arquis put on his best poker face and pulled away as if seriously considering the question. He even feigned a touch of mild concern.
“Well, he did come all this way to see you. Surely it would be rude to send him away so soon. I do not wish to leave him unsatisfied.” Encouraged by a boost of rare confidence, he practically purred that last word. He ran a single finger down their jaw and brushed his knuckle against the shallow hollow of their throat. His other hand, which was still on their side, traced the curve of his hipbone through their shirt.
He shifted faintly, narrowing his eyes up at his lover. "Darling, I'll see him again tomorrow." He replied, wrinkling his nose a little bit. "Though if you want to satisfy him, you might need to get to know him better." They smirked slightly, chin tipping back just a little as Arquis's knuckle dragged along the skin of their throat.
Arquis hummed and leaned forward as if he was going to nip at their collarbones. Just before he did, however, he paused. He was so close that his every breath fanned out over his skin. He grinned, then retreated to his original position. His eyes were teasing and a little bit daring.
“Perhaps I shall.” Without waiting for a response, he slid off of them and over to the edge of the bed. He was almost to the door when he stopped, stretching in such a way that his shirt rode up. “Unless you have any objections, of course.”
It was a challenge; he didn’t mean it seriously, and it was obvious in the tone of his voice. He gave them a quick smile to indicate that he was joking just in case.
Rin watched him, biting his lip for a moment when Arquis's breath ghosted against his skin, sitting up on his elbow when Arquis moved away. He pretended to think for a moment, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I don't mind, though Honey might." He teased, laughing a little as they looked over at him.
Arquis feigned shock. “Really? You do not have even a single objection?”
His heart was starting to pound. What he was about to do next made him very nervous, but it also gave him a bit of a rush. He flattened himself against the wall, keeping his eyes on his partner, and ran his hand up to the bottom of his shirt. Slowly, he undid the first button, then the second, his movements precise. Once all of the buttons had been taken care of, he tugged at the halves of his shirt until torso was mostly on display. The low light of the room made his body look as if it were chiseled from pale stone. The only tells that he wasn’t a statue were the uneven rise and fall of his chest and the blush creeping down his neck.
“What about now?” he asked softly, swallowing hard. “Shall I go fetch him like this?”
Rin couldn't help the way his gaze moved across Arquis, slowly taking in the young man's form. "Oh." the word was very faint. They cleared their throat after a moment, eyes moving back up to Arquis's face. "Well. If that's…what you want to do." he ran his hands through their hair, gaze moving over his lover again.
Arquis tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and sighed. The dim lighting emphasized the slope of his shoulders and his Adam’s apple. He made a show of removing the rest of his shirt, pulling it off one sleeve at a time. He then knitted his hands behind his neck so that Rin could really see the muscles working in his arms. It was nerve wracking, putting himself on display like this. He hoped he didn’t look as foolish as he felt.
“I am starting to feel rather lonely over here,” he stage-whispered, arching against the wall. His eyelids fluttered open, though only halfway. He wet his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. The shirt slipped from his grasp to the floor. He let it fall with a coy smile.
Rin's gaze narrowed, and the faintest flush bloomed on his cheeks. Nevertheless, he got up from the bed and came over to Arquis, gently sliding his hand up his partner's chest to rest against his collarbone. They moved close, lips barely brushing against Arquis's. They paused for a long, long moment, letting Arquis wait, then spoke. "I'm going to tell Ari to go to bed." they whispered, before pulling back and depositing a kiss to the edge of the nobleman's lips in a light, teasing motion.
Arquis could barely stand. Wide-eyed, chest trembling from anticipation, he made an indecipherable sound and stumbled to the bed. It was extremely ungraceful in comparison to his previous actions, but he literally couldn’t care less. He traced his hand up his chest in a pantomime of what they’d just done. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, like he’d been electrified. He kind of felt like he had. Every part of him was humming with an urgency that he’d never felt before, or at least not to this degree.
“Be polite,” he finally managed. “He is a guest, after all. I do not want to, um… ah, I do not want him to…”
Rin had rendered him speechless. He smiled, embarrassed, and studied him from where he lay against the pillow.
Rin laughed a little bit, watching his lover plop down on the bed, and then turned to the door, opening it. Ari was sitting in the hall, picking absently at his fingers. He looked up when Rin opened the door, and smirked slightly. "Are you here to tell me to leave?"
"I…how could you tell?" Rin asked, laughing a little.
"The look in your eyes." Ari stood, smiling over at his friend. "Be safe. I'll see you in the morning."
Rin laughed again. "Goodnight, Ari."
Arquis blushed as the conversation drifted through the crack in the door. There was nothing openly scandalous about it, but he wondered if Ari knew what was really going on. That was both a bit mortifying and sweet in a very strange way. It made their relationship—which was a wonderful, messy, whirlwind romance—feel more concrete.
He smiled to himself as he replayed the events of the evening. It had been a very long day, and much had happened. They’d gone through so many highs and lows that it nearly made his head spin. He was very eager to find out what was next. Even if it ended up being simple cuddling, he’d be perfectly fine with it.
He was in love with Rin. He’d never been in love with anyone before, not like this. His smile softened as that warm, giddy feeling blossomed in his chest once again. He rolled onto his side and waited eagerly for their return.
Ari gave his friend a wink and a grin, and then left, heading back to his own room.
Rin turned back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him as he came over to the bed. They got up on it, laying down beside Arquis and pressing close to him, giving him a soft smile. "I'm back." They said, walking their fingers up Arquis's chest.
Arquis let out a low laugh, the kind that rumbled deep in his chest, and said, “Mm, yes, I noticed.”
He brought his hand up over theirs, gently pressing their palm flat over his skin. Then, he moved it up to the spot over his own heart. He assumed they could feel how fast it was beating, and when he looked at him, his pupils were dilated. He bit his lower lip and turned his head against the pillow. This wasn’t his area of expertise. It was making him feel shy.
“This is my favorite place on your body,” he whispered, lifting their joined hands and placing them over their heart instead. His voice was incredibly earnest, lacking the teasing quality from earlier. “It is my favorite spot to rest my head. You have a wonderful heart, my love.”
He smiled softly, closing his own eyes for a moment. "Oh, my darling." he said softly. "You are so terribly sweet to me." they opened their eyes, leaning forward to press another soft kiss to Arquis's cheek. "Now, where were we?" he shifted to straddle Arquis, now above him.
“Oh.” Arquis flushed bright red and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. The weight of them on top of him was doing very strange things to his mind. He shifted under them, bringing his hand to rest on one of their hips. His eyes were wide, his breath bated.
“You look lovely like this,” he exhaled softly. Seeing them above him, feeling the pressure of his legs around him, was an incredible experience. He felt overwhelmed. He felt so, so lucky. He felt like he had no clue what he was doing, which was the truth. He also felt a bit chilly. That was due to his lack of a shirt, no doubt.
Rin leaned down, pressing their mouth to their partner's for a long, long moment, before he pulled away again. "How far do you want to go tonight, darling?" he asked in a soft tone, reaching up to trace Arquis's lips with their fingers, fingertips brushing lightly across the nobleman's mouth. "It's completely up to you, my love."