Rin slid his ring onto his finger, turning around and looking at Arquis. They moved to crouch by him, taking his hands in theirs. "Darling, I do not mind that you turned around. Mistakes happen, and even then, I don't really care. It would be different if you were staring the whole time, sure, but an accident is an accident, and it doesn't really matter." they said, trying to soothe him.
Arquis opened his eyes, but he didn’t look at them. His brows were furrowed in frustration. He stood, not letting go of Rin’s hands, and gently helped them to his feet.
“You might not mind,” he mumbled, “but it still does bother me, and I am not sure why.”
The worker from earlier poked her head in and gave Arquis an impatient, yet not unkind, look. He placed a hand on the small of Rin’s back and guided them out. Once the two of them were in the hall and on the way to the room, he paused to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“I think it truly is because of consent,” he said finally. “Even thought it was an accident, I still wish to only see you in such a state if you are willing to let me. Not that I have thought about it much, though you would make an excellent model for a painting.” He flushed and shook his head. “Forget that I said that. What I mean to say is that your body is your own, and that you should have the choice to show it off. I did not mean to take that choice away, if even for a second.”
Rin listened quietly as Arquis explained, nodding slightly. "I understand." he said softly, giving Arquis a faint smile. "And I am grateful that you care." he kissed Arquis's cheek softly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "You are wonderful, darling."
Arquis stopped in the middle of the hallway and gave them a sideways look. One corner of his mouth quirked up as he studied them, and his eyes gradually made their way to the arm around his shoulders.
“I wish I could hold you right now,” he said in a soft voice. His mind traveled back to their brief romantic session in the morning, then to the one they’d just had. He wanted them close. “You are so beautiful, my dear. And so good to me.”
They passed a couple heading in the opposite direction. Arquis remembered suddenly that he’d left his mask in the spa, but luckily they didn’t seem to be looking. He quickened his pace until they were at their room. Unfortunately, they weren’t alone. There was a very tall, bearded young man standing outside a door down the hall. He was walking towards them. Arquis fumbled to put the key in the door, but he was a bit too slow. The stranger was by them in less than ten seconds.
“Hello,” he said in a deep voice that rumbled like smooth gravel. Something about it set Arquis on edge. Rather than look at the nobleman, however, he glanced at Rin. “I’m sorry if I startled you, but you look a bit familiar. Have we met before?”
(before I respond, is this dude supposed to be someone Rin knows, or nah?)
(I was planning for not really cause I didn’t wanna spring that on you but if you wanna make it so that they do know each other and come up with something then that’d be cool too!! absolutely no pressure to do that though)
(tbh I can't think of anything, tho at some point (maaaaybe at the hotel, maybe later in RP, we'll see) I was thinking of introducing Lysander (for some,,,, angst) and Ari (his bsf, for some fun) tho probably not at the same time)
(that’s fair! I have a secondary plot we can use with this guy, then!! and I’d like to see them introduced eventually as well, though perhaps a bit later like you said—if you wanna introduce them at any point, just say the word and we can work that in!)
Rin beamed at Arquis's words, though that smile faded to a faint frown at the sight of the stranger. Rin, too, had forgotten to put his mask back on. They cleared their throat. "I do not believe we have." he said slowly. "Is there something you need from me?" they stayed close to Arquis, not approaching this tall, bearded man.
“No, no, I have definitely met you before.” The man burst into a grin. It was wide, exposing two perfect rows of white teeth. For some reason, they reminded Arquis of fangs. “I could never forget those eyes.”
Arquis groaned internally. Was everyone at the inn so bold? Who would do such a thing in front of someone’s husband? Perhaps, he thought tiredly, there was some sort of infection going about that increased flirtatiousness. Or perhaps boundaries were an unfamiliar concept in the inn.
“My apologies, but we are married. There are plenty of other people around, however, to use your pickup lines on.” It was a bit more blunt than he’d intended, but he was too weary to care.
“Married, huh? Well, no offense, but that doesn’t mean all that much.”
Arquis’s brow creased. “Excuse me?”
The man straightened up to full height. His muscular chest was slightly puffed out, and he was wearing a far too confident smile. It was almost predatory. Arquis stepped in front of Rin to shield them from his piercing gaze.
“Nothing, nothing. Just that this is a bad spot for a married couple to be. Keeping vows can be real hard in a place like this.” He walked past them after finishing the sentence, giving Rin a look as he went. It was as if he’d won a competition and they were the prize. He started whistling, and the sound of it carried long after he turned the corner.
Rin frowned a little bit, eyes tracking the man silently as he walked away. "That was weird." he said slowly, looking over at Arquis uncertainly. "And…well, a bit creepy." something about the encounter was rubbing them in the wrong way, especially with the way the man had been watching and talking about them.
(that’s fair! I have a secondary plot we can use with this guy, then!! and I’d like to see them introduced eventually as well, though perhaps a bit later like you said—if you wanna introduce them at any point, just say the word and we can work that in!)
(i didn't see this until now, sorry! Yeah that would be neat! I'll let you know :)
Arquis wrapped a protective arm around their back and gave him a peck on the forehead. “I agree. Something about him was rather disturbing. If he had threatened you, my love, then I would have had Lovey send him away, but he technically did not do anything wrong. I doubt that anybody working here would agree to oust someone just because they were acting strange.”
He went ahead and put the key into the lock. Part of him was convinced that all their stuff would be gone or destroyed when they got inside, but everything was as they’d left it. He shrugged off his shoes and pushed a hand through his hair.
“I am slightly worried that he might be dangerous,” he admitted, sighing softly. He made sure that he’d locked the door behind them. “But, well, we know nothing about him. We did not even get his name. And as I stated, there is no concrete evidence to prove his deviancy. I suppose we will just have to keep an eye out.”
Rin nodded faintly, staying close to Arquis as they headed inside the room. "Yes, ah…we'll stick together and it will be fine." they agreed softly, kissing Arquis's cheek softly. "He just seemed…off. Not like Honey was, Honey was just weird. This guy seemed, you know, maybe a little…dangerous."
“Honey, at the very least, seemed like he was trying to protect the people here. Even if he was a bit intrusive. But you are correct. That man was a different breed of strange.”
Arquis made his way to the bed and threw himself down onto it. He yawned, rolled to look at Rin, and stretched his arms out to them. That furrow in his brow disappeared when he smiled at him.
“I believe we were interrupted earlier. Join me?” he asked, opening and closing his hands as if grabbing the air.
Rin kicked off his shoes, smiling as they lay down on the bed and snuggled closer to Arquis. "Alright." he said, smiling lightly at Arquis. "Thank you." they were not even quite sure what, precisely, they were thanking him for, but they loved being so close, loved being able to snuggle up with him like this.
Arquis smiled brightly and rolled over so that he would see them better. He propped himself up on a forearm so that he could look down at him. They were absolutely beautiful at all times, but something about seeing them like this pulled at his heartstrings. He peppered his face with tiny kisses before landing on their lips. Unlike before, when he’d spent an eternity teasing them, he kissed him passionately.
He leaned away as the situation dawned on him. They weren’t in a public spa room anymore. This was their own bedroom. He blushed, instantly pulling the blankets up over his head to hide it. But he didn’t break apart from Rin; he couldn’t bear to physically detangle himself from them.
Rin kissed him back, reaching up to wrap their arms around Arquis. When he pulled away, Rin let him go, raising his eyebrows faintly. "Is something wrong? I liked the kisses." they asked, voice soft and teasing and just a little bit pouting. "And you have taken them away from me."
Arquis laughed and shifted in the sheets. He re-emerged to give them a kiss on the neck. It lasted for quite some time, as he kept brushing his lips over different spots: their jaw, his right collarbone, the middle of their throat, his left collarbone. He eventually worked his way to their mouth again, and he kissed him a touch harder than before. Not hard enough to hurt—he didn’t want to bruise them—but just enough to show his desperation.
“Mm, love, my apologies.” He moved away, resting on his forearm. His breathing was rapid; his heartbeat was erratic; his pupils were blown. “I hope that made up for my previous error.”
Rin couldn't help the faint, tiny noises that left his mouth each time Arquis's mouth found a more sensitive spot, his hands curling faintly on Arquis's shirt, holding onto the nobleman. "Mm, yes, it went a long way towards fixing it." they replied, looking up at Arquis with only half open eyes.
Each noise sent a jolt through Arquis, and he pressed another long, messy kiss onto their neck. He attempted to shift onto his back to give him some room to breathe—everything was moving so fast, and though they looked fantastic with his half-lidded eyes, Arquis figured he should still back off—but their hands made it difficult. Rather than simply roll over, he ended up flipping them so that Rin was over him.
“Oh,” he whispered and buried his face in Rin’s shirt. “That was unintentional.”
He laughed when he ended up above Arquis, shifting their hands to hold themself up more. "It's fine, love. This is a good position too." they had no idea how far Arquis wanted to go– if any further than this at all –and they were fine with whatever their lover wanted to do.
“It is rather good, yes,” Arquis agreed distractedly. His gaze had landed on the bottom of their shirt, which had ridden up in the switch. He bit his bottom lip and nervously brought his hand to the exposed sliver of their hip. His gloved fingertips skated very lightly across it, but he didn’t go any further. Not without Rin’s permission. And he himself wasn’t fully sure what he was doing.
“Rin,” he started, voice low and unsure. “Rin, love, I- I am not- I have never- I do not know how to-”
Rin inhaled very softly at the brush of Arquis's fingers to their skin. "Sex?" they asked softly, shifting so that they could look at Arquis a bit better. "If that is what you are, ah, referencing?" they did not want to assume that was it, but it seemed like it, considering the kissing and positioning.
Arquis made a soft, startled noise and reddened. He pursed his lips. Rin wouldn’t make fun of his lack of experience—they had never mocked him for it in the past—but he found himself nervous nevertheless. Should he be doing more? Less? Should he try to take control, or should he let him have their way? Where was he supposed to put his hands? What was he supposed to look at? Did he look strange, being under them? Should he have worn a more flattering outfit? What about his gloves? Should he take them off?
“I do not- I-” He stopped and shook his head. Words had failed him before, but it was almost never this bad. He didn’t understand what was flustering him; he’d been fine before, but now it felt different. “What do you- what would- how- how do I-”
Rin shifted again to lie on his side next to Arquis, giving him a bit more space, and let the man stammer and stumble his way through his sentence. "We do not have to do anything you want to, darling." he said softly. "Though my first question is whether you know how sex works between two people who are anatomically male." they raised their eyebrows just a little bit, eyes free of judgement, just filled with a soft, gentle warmth.
Arquis covered his eyes with a hand, just as he had earlier in the spa. The blush was raging intensely; it felt like there was a fire on his face. He couldn’t look at them. Even if his eyes were gentle and nonjudgmental, even if they were trying to care for him. He just couldn’t do it. His heart felt like it was going to pop right out of his chest, and his lungs were close behind.
“I have- I have never- I do not- it is not allowed,” he finished. That last word came out with a noticeable wobble. “It is not allowed. I cannot. I will be- I will be punished. I cannot think of it, I cannot-”
Rin moved closer, but still not onto Arquis, wrapping their arms around him again and holding onto him. "It's alright, darling." they whispered. "It is alright, I promise you. I won't let anyone hurt you for this." privately, he wondered if Arquis's father had said or done something to make him so afraid of this. Of sex, with Rin.
Arquis wasn’t crying, but he was shaking like a leaf in a tornado. It took him a minute to realize that they weren’t going to physically press the issue any further, at least not while he was in such a state, and he gradually began to relax. He’d flinched when they’d hugged him. He wasn’t sure if he’d noticed, but he kind of hoped they hadn’t.
“Sorry. Sorry, my dear. I am so terribly sorry about all that. It is just that, well, I get emotional when tired, and I suppose I got myself worked up into a state.”
As far as lies went, it was a pretty poor one. People didn’t freak out over such small things because they were kind of sleepy. But he was scared Rin would think differently of him if he talked about his past experience with the topic. Better to avoid it entirely.
“Thank you for being so sweet.”
They had noticed, but had not pulled away, only loosened their grip a tiny bit. "I see." they really didn't believe him, though. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel safer?" he asked in a quiet tone, reaching up to gently card his fingers through Arquis's hair. They had noticed how hesitant Arquis was around the matter of sex, and didn't want to press any furhter than he was willing to go.