Rin laughed a little as Arquis left, getting up from the bed and heading down the halls and to Ari's room, knocking on the door.
"Good morning. Did you have a good night?" Ari greeted, wiggling his eyebrows and snickering at his friend as he let Rin into the room.
Rin rolled his eyes, laughing. "Yes, I did. Now get dressed, we're all going down to the village."
"Who's we?" Ari asked, getting out a change of clothes.
"You, me, Arquis, and Honey." Rin replied, smirking faintly.
Ari blinked at him for a moment. "Honey's coming?" He asked, smoothing his hands over his shirt in a quick, nervous gesture.
"Yeah. So make sure you look pretty." Rin headed, smiling.
Ari grumbled at him, grabbing hi sclothes and heading into the bathroom to change, closing the door behind him.
As it turned out, twenty minutes was not enough time. Honey spent half of that time lamenting his wardrobe and changing directly in front of Arquis, who awkwardly averted his gaze. The blond then pulled the nobleman up and commanded him to pick an outfit. That had originally been a part of his plan, but he suddenly felt rather nervous. The other man seemed very confident in what he wore. He knew he looked good in any style, and so his closet was full of several. The noble tended to stick to very a specific look: elegant, expensive suits paired with nice yet sensible shoes. Clearly, that wasn't going to work in this scenario.
Forty minutes and a whole lot of messing with makeup later, the two young men were finally on their way to the room. Honey looked gorgeous. He was wearing a very pretty, carnation pink dress that was shot through with golden stitching. His eyeshadow was a matching gold shimmer, and his lips were painted with a soft pink hue. Dangling from his ears were thin chains that swept across his collarbones when he turned his head. His shoes were impractical rose gold high heels.
Arquis felt kind of ridiculous. Honey had fixed his hair, meaning that it was disheveled in a stylish way. He'd refused to wear anything revealing, and the blond had understood. His outfit was a pair of black slacks with a dark blouse that had sheer sleeves. Decorating it were lacy swirls and a large bow that sat right in the middle of his chest. He was also wearing makeup, though much less due to anxiety. His eyes were ringed with subtle, smoky liner, but his lips were painted an obvious, deep red shade. He liked it because it reminded him of the berries that his stained his lips when he and Rin had kissed once.
"I look absurd," Arquis huffed under his breath to Honey as they walked.
"You look handsome,” Honey corrected. He reassuringly touched the nobleman’s elbow. “Bard's gonna be all over you, I promise."
Arquis hesitated at the door to his and Rin's suite. Honey gave him an encouraging nod, and he opened it, uncertain of whether Rin would be inside. Perhaps he was still with Ari.
Rin and Ari were indeed back in the room, sitting on the bed and talking. Ari was in a loose white v neck that went down to the lower bit of his chest, along with a pair of dark slacks. His brown leather boots sat on the floor. His curly hair was loose around his face, framing his cheekbones with lovely dark curls.
Rin, for their part, wore a deep green shirt and a pair of dark brown pants. His own shoes sat on the floor beside Ari's, and their hair was tousled and a touch on the messy side.
When Arquis and Honey came in, both Kevrans paused for a long moment, taking in the sight. "Darling, you look wonderful." Rin said, getting up from the bed and taking in Arquis, eyes moving slowly over him. "Truly, you do."
Ari got up from the bed as well, clearing his throat faintly as he took Honey's appearance in. "Wow." He said softly.
Honey fluttered his lashes in a show of false modesty. He knew he looked good, and he knew that everyone else knew it, too. His heels sparkled as he sauntered over to Ari, close enough that the other man could smell his perfume. The scent was an intoxicating mix of his namesake and nectarine. Sweet, rich, and vibrant. His lip gloss also tasted of honey, and it shimmered as a top coat over that darker pink shade.
"Isn't it pretty? It twirls," he said in a nonchalant way. To demonstrate what he meant, he spun in a circle, showing himself off from all angles. His skirt flew up, exposing more of his long legs. When the twirling was finished, he tripped forward on his heels, stumbling directly into Ari. He threw an arm over his shoulders and placed his hand square on his chest to steady himself. The open V-neck of Ari's shirt, however, meant that the blond's palm landed on his skin.
"Oh. Hi, stranger," he laughed, dizzy from the spinning.
Arquis beamed at Rin and drew them into an embrace, which he sealed with a kiss. Honey had specifically put something on his lips to keep the stain from rubbing off, but a faint trace of it was left on the bard's mouth nonetheless. It made something stir inside the nobleman, and he blushed unevenly.
"You also look ravishing, my dear," he murmured.
Ari caught Honey, flashing a soft smile as his arms automatically came up to steady the golden haired young man. "Hello." he greeted, laughing a little bit. "Your dress is gorgeous, Honey." he said, smiling as he took Honey in. "As are you." he added after a moment, hoping the soft bit of flirtation wasn't going too far.
Rin laughed a little bit, smiling up at his partner. "Thank you, darling." he replied, reaching up to cup Arquis's cheek softly. "You must have let Honey dress and style you; I cannot see any other way you would wear these clothes or any sort of makeup." he loved the way it looked on his partner's features, though.
Honey practically purred at the compliment and flung his arms about Ari's neck. Flattery would get him everywhere. Gorgeous was a new one, though. The compliments the blond usually received were much less innocent. He tolerated those, but this one he actually appreciated.
"Aw, thank you, stranger. You're such a sweetheart." A bubbly laugh escaped from his pretty mouth, and he tapped Ari on the nose. His eyes flickered down for just a moment before returning to the other man's face. "Gotta say, I really like your shirt. Goes a bit low, doesn't it?"
Across the room, Arquis went pink. His gloved hand hovered around his cheek for a moment, as if to hide his blush, before he dropped it to his side. "Ah, yes, he did. I asked him to dress me for a date. I wanted to look nice." He cleared his throat. "For you. I wanted to dress up for you."
Honey heard him. He twirled out of Ari's grasp, shooting him a quick wink, and made his way to Rin's side. He propped his elbow on the bard's shoulder. In a stage whisper, he said, "Tried to get him in a skirt, but he wouldn't go for it."
Ari smirked a little bit. "I put in a lot of time to look this good in a low-cut shirt." he replied, watching as Honey crossed over to Rin and Arquis. He smiled a little, running a hand through his hair and letting out a faint breath.
Rin laughed softly, looking from Honey to Arquis. "Ah, a pity. My darling, I think you would look wonderful in a skirt." he kissed Arquis's cheek softly. "But, of course, I would never pressure you to do so if it would amke you uncomfortable."
(ari has had top surgery, right? cause I was thinking of having honey notice the scars and then get all worried, but I wanted to see what you thought of that idea first)
Honey turned to Ari when he heard him speak, and he gave him an approving once over. He really had chosen such a nice shirt. A thought crossed the blond's mind. He grinned devilishly and made his way over, a slight sway in his hips. Once he was there, he pinched the edges of his neckline, then began to tug and adjust it. His knuckles occasionally brushed the other man's chest. After he was satisfied, he leaned back on his heels.
"There we go! It was crooked. That looks much better, don't you think?"
Arquis laughed. "Honey, it was just fine before." His focus returned to Rin. "Thank you, love, but I think I would just look silly. That would be a lot of, um, leg on display."
(yeah he has, though the scars were faded a lot through magic so they aren't super obvious)
Ari smirked faintly when Honey pulled back, raising his eyebrows for just a moment. "I am sure it was very crooked. That, of course, must be the only reason you did that." he teased, laughing a little bit. He adjusted the neckline just a little bit, wanting it to sit a specific way across his chest to keep the scars to be too obvious.
Rin shrugged his shoulders. "That's the point of skirts, my darling." he replied, laughing a little bit. "But, like I said, you do not have to wear anything that makes you uncomfortable."
(ooh I see)
Honey nodded, feigning solemnity. "It was necessary. Fashion mishaps are a crime against humanity. I basically just saved your life, stranger." Something playful crossed his countenance, and he shrugged. "If you aren't gonna show me gratitude for doing all that, then I'll have to get it from a different source."
Arquis was very much not expecting for the blond to nudge him out of the way, but, sensing a scheme, he willingly stepped to the side. Honey smiled sweetly at Rin before pulling them into a hug. He stroked his hand through their hair and teasingly patted his hip. The nobleman rolled his eyes.
"Looks like we're on our own, aren't we, hot stuff?" Honey tipped their chin up so that he could leave a chaste kiss on his forehead. A bit of sticky, golden glitter was left behind from his lipgloss. "Neither of us get the treatment we deserve."
"What? What did I do?" Arquis asked, faking indignation. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"Wouldn't wear the skirt," Honey scolded. He shook his head and stroked a thumb down Rin's cheek. “Poor thing, having to put up with someone so neglectful.”
Ari raised his eyebrows faintly. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." he replied, laughing a little bit, eyes following Honey as the young man walked away from him again.
Rin laughed, wrapping an arm around Honey's shoulders and looking over at his partner. "I really don't think that not wearing a skirt constitutes as neglect, Honey." he said, laughing and smiling, their eyes moving from Honey to Arquis and back again.
(I love honey because at almost no point can you tell who he's actually interested in fhdjfjfjd)
"It does if it's him," Honey rebutted, sighing and fake swooning. His lips formed a pout. "Had the perfect one picked out and everything. High waisted, pleated little thing. Really thought he'd like it."
Arquis scoffed. "It was absurdly short."
"Absurdly! Would've gone to your knees—that's not short at all. I've got some that'd really make you blush." He glanced at Ari over Rin's shoulder and smirked, then let his gaze drop again to the bard. "Anyways, since we're on our own, handsome, does that mean that we're going on a date? I could wine and dine you real good. I know all the nice places in town."
"You are unbelievable." The nobleman walked over and tried to plant a kiss on his partner's temple, but Honey was faster. He scooped Rin into the air—his strong biceps flexing—and carried him bridal style a few steps away.
"Sorry, dreamboat. Lost your chance," he teased, grinning. He made lifting Rin look easy.
(yes exactly lol)
Rin laughed again as he was scooped up, putting an arm across Honey's shoulders for stability. "Honey, much as I appreciate the offer, I would like to wine and dine with my partner." he said, smiling at Honey and raising his eyebrows a little bit. "You can take Ari out to all the nice places you know of." he was laughing even as he spoke, letting Honey hold onto them.
(I am somewhat tempted to make him have a crush on all three of them for angst purposes but also idk if that would make things weird you know)
Honey hissed in a breath through his teeth and shook his head. He wiped away an invisible tear. Arquis resisted the urge to roll his eyes once more. The blond was quite the performer.
"Rejected so soon!" he cried. "We didn't even get to slow dance."
As if he was holding something fragile, he delicately set Rin on the bed. There was something legitimately sad in his eyes for just a moment, but then he was moving away. He sat down on the desk, hitched one of his legs over the other, and sighed dramatically. He'd heard Rin's last comment, but he decided he'd pretend as if he did not.
"Guess I'm all on my own, then. Just gonna sit here. Abandoned. Lonely. In a very, very pretty dress."
(mm while I'm all for polycules, I think I'd prefer if we kept this to two couples that are friends, if that's alright?)
Rin smiled a little bit. "My apologies, Honey." he replied softly, running a hand over his head and letting out a faint breath.
Ari approached, placing his hands on either side of Honey and leaning close. "Hello, stranger." he greeted, mimicking Honey's words from earlier. "You look lovely and lonely." his mouth quirked teasingly as he looked at the blond, faces closer than normal. With the way he was bending, his shirt was gapping more and the faint scars were more visible than normal.
(oh I didn't mean that it'd actually be like a thing! more so that the conflict on honey's part alone would be interesting, but yeah I think it'd probably complicate too much and he's got quite a lot going on already)
Honey went almost as pink as his dress and stammered out something incomprehensible. He'd lost control of the situation; the tables had turned, and he was loving everything about it. The sudden proximity was especially to his liking. He looked up at Ari through his golden lashes, his soft, glossy pink lips forming a shy smile.
"Oh. Hi," he breathed, shifting on the desk. The skirt of his dress ended just a bit before his knees, and he could feel his calves brush against the other man's legs. "Very lonely, yes. So, so lonely. Though I suppose now that I have company, well…"
He honestly couldn't think of what to say next. His eyes traveled down the curve of Ari's throat. Suddenly, he paused. His eyebrows furrowed.
"What happened?" he asked. That smile had flattened into a pinched, worried line. He lifted his hand and, without thinking, brushed his fingers across one of his faded scars. Panic flooded his face. He lowered his voice and whispered, "Did someone hurt you? Are you alright?"
(Oh that makes more sense, sorry! but yeah I think we probably have enough conflict going on that adding in crushes might complicate things too much)
Ari smirked softly, staying close to Honey. However, at the brush of Honey's fingers against the scars, his brows pulled together in a faint frown. "Oh. Uhm. I'm not…that's not from…no one hurt me. I wanted those." he said quickly. "I'm…" he backed off a little bit, taking a deep breath. "I'm trans. I wasn't…I wasn't born like this. With this body. It…I…" his gaze flickered around uncertainly, afraid that Honey would not understand or accept this. That this flirtation, this fun thing they had had, would melt away in the light of the truth.
(you're good! I wasn't very clear haha but yeah you're right)
"Oh, thank goodness," Honey said, letting out a massive sigh of relief. He smiled at Ari until he saw that he was upset. His expression immediately shifted into something soft, and when he spoke, his voice was comforting. "I know what trans means, Ari. Known a lot of trans folks. There are plenty here. I'm not gonna, like, judge you for it or something, stranger. That’d be pretty damn messed up, wouldn’t it?”
Arquis stayed back. He joined Rin on the bed, wrapping an arm around his partner. There was a tight knot of concern in his stomach. Ari had seemed nervous, and he could only hope that Honey was saying what he needed to hear.
"It doesn't change anything unless you want it to. I mean, I'd get it if it did. I shouldn't have poked my nose into your business, and I'm real sorry I made you tell me." He ducked his head, embarrassed, and then looked up again. Ari deserved to see that he was telling the truth. "Should've asked differently. Just got all worried. But I'm glad you're not hurt or anything."
(alright! :) )
Ari studied Honey carefully, wanting to believe the blond, but also remembering other guys that had said they were okay with it but then later turning out not to be. "It's…yeah." he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not hurt." he didn't quite know what to say. "It doesn't…it shouldn't change anything but, ah, some guys…" he trailed off, letting out a quick, sharp breath. "Don't see it that way." he had had gay men tell him they just weren't attracted to him anymore, because he was "a woman". Or, before his surgery, guys that had been interested in him get angry when he told them that he was not a woman. That he was a man and he wanted to be treated and seen that way.
Honey's jaw clenched, but he wasn't angry at Ari. It was awful that people treated him badly for something he couldn't control. He hadn't asked to be born in the wrong form, and it was already hard enough that he'd had to deal with that throughout his life. He shouldn't have had to deal with cruelty and discrimination as well. It made the blond's blood boil.
"Well, listen, stranger. I'm serious. It changes nothing with me, alright?" His soft pink lips curled into a flirtatious smile, and he leaned forward, cocking a brow. He wasn't sure if this would be the right move, but he really did want to show Ari that he wasn't going to be treated differently. "You're still the same handsome man that came over here to keep me company. And I'm very grateful for it."
They were close enough again that Ari should be able to smell the perfume on Honey's neck. He was also wearing lotion and golden body glitter that made his skin shimmer. If Ari looked down, he'd be able to see a little bit of Honey's chest. He thought it was only fair; an equal exchange.
Rin could guess what the conversation what might be about, even if they couldn't make out all the words, and they leaned their head on Arquis's shoulder, wrapping an arm around their partner.
Ari took a deep breath, mouth quirking in a faint smile. "My thanks, Honey." he replied, eyes flickering over the blond and taking him in again. "Now, weren't we going to go somewhere?" he asked, glancing around the room before looking at Honey again. "You did say something about knowing all the best spots."
Honey sighed and stood up. While he loved going to the village, he'd prefer to stay in the room and keep their banter going. He was very interested in where it would lead. Part of him wondered if Ari changing the subject meant that he wasn't into it anymore. The thought made something in him wilt. Had he ruined their relationship—or whatever this was, really—before it had even had a chance to begin? Maybe Myr was right. Maybe he really wasn't cut out for dating. Maybe he really was only good for one thing, and that was the one thing that Ari didn't want.
He suddenly felt ridiculous. What was he thinking, getting all dolled up for someone he hardly knew? He was so overdressed. And worse than that, he was wearing something that didn't cover a whole lot. He felt exposed. Vulnerable, both physically and emotionally.
"Um, yeah. Right." He walked past Ari to the door. His strong arms had instinctively crossed, and he was red-faced with shame. "I can show you guys. Might actually make a stop by my room real quick. Get a jacket. It's kinda cold out still, and…"
Ari had changed the subject because discussing his identity always made him feel defensive and strange, and it had been hard for him to go back to the banter and flirtation so easily. So he had changed the subject in an attempt to duck that. He straightened up, adjusting his shirt and taking a deep breath. "You look lovely, Honey." he said softly, gaze landing on the young man's red face. "And I don't think anyone would mind a quick stop for a jacket, if you need one."
Rin got off the bed, gently pulling Arquis off of it too. "Let's go, then." they said, flashing the two a quick smile.
Arquis laughed as he tumbled into his partner. He looped his arm through theirs and threaded their fingers together. If they were going to go on a date, then he wanted it to feel official. He wanted to hold hands and kiss in public and flirt openly. It would be a little dangerous, but he was love drunk and feeling unusually confident. After the morning he'd had, he deserved to have a fun day out with his lover.
Honey, on the other hand, was still feeling much less optimistic about the whole thing. He shook his head adamantly when he heard Ari speak, even before he said the thing about the jacket. Somehow, he felt weak and wobbly on the inside, like he'd had a fever that had radiated inwards instead of out. It didn't make sense. Then again, nothing he was feeling really made sense. He shot a very fake yet pretty smile at Ari and opened the door handle.
"Nah, really, I don't wanna waste your time. I'll just be a second. Meet you at the front."
He walked out into the hall, throat tight and eyes stinging. Realistically, he knew he was being foolish. Ari had complimented him. That had to mean something. But he'd let Myr's words get to him, and they were infecting him like a virus.
Rin smiled up at his lover, kissing Arquis's cheek softly and holding him close. "Love you, darling." they said softly, leaning their head on Arquis's shoulder and smiling a little bit. When Honey left, he looked over at Ari, a touch confused as to what was going on. "Ari, is everything alright?" he asked slowly.
Ari shrugged, looking over at them. "I…don't know." he said slowly. "I told Honey I was trans, and he doesn't mind, but uh…it kind of killed the mood, and I think I upset him, or something." he ran a hand through his hair, grimacing.
