A shiny penny. New, stretchy and clean socks. And what about a car fresh off the lot? There's something to be said for the fancy and new - but there are charm and comfort you just can't beat when it comes to the old faithfuls. Your favorite t-shirt, worn out in the shoulders. That warm blanket.
The person you've been with...well, forever.
how to play.
Comment with your character, prefs, etc.
All characters are welcome, as there are prompts for everyone - yes, including your grimdark antiheroes and playboy types.
Reply to others. Your characters are well-established "old" couple who've been with each other for a while and - hopefully - have left all the drama behind.
prompts.
special trip: enjoy the beaches of Florida or the twin-sun skies of Tatooine.
not the settling sort: how did you, of all people, settle down? nevermind, you might as well just reap the benefits.
new place: you two just can't keep your hands to yourselves. or your bodies off every piece of furniture you have.
night off: one of you is always busy, so time together is rare.
long distance: a more extreme version of the above. you two are married but don't live together, as one of you is always on the road...or on the run.
still so in love: no matter how long you've been together, the spark's still there.
hatesex: there's no spark here, as it's more like a raging inferno of resentment towards your insignificant other.
rekindle the spark: in continuation of spark talk, you guys are trying to recapture what you once had.
make-up sex: the best thing about marital spats? making up again!
romantic night: break out the chocolate and bubble bath.
still got it: they have no need for jealousy, as you have eyes only for them. you want to show them how beautiful they are.
domestically depraved: to the outside world, you're the Cleavers. in your own little world, you're still the perfect couple - just a bit kinky.
He finds Essek on the balcony. Even after midnight the breeze from the Lucidian Ocean is pleasantly warm, and Caleb watches from the doorway as it ruffles Essek's carefully styled hair, the white strands silvered by the light of a nearly full Catha overhead. It seems that while Caleb was undressing and washing up for bed, Essek was unwinding in his own way, watching the lights of Nicodranas and the darker, gently rolling water beyond from their high perch within the Lavish Chateau.
After reuniting the Nein for a birthday party for Jester (who still wouldn't tell any of them how old she was turning) that lasted well into the night, they've retired to the room provided for them, beautiful and luxuriously furnished in a way that Caleb can rarely afford these days on a professor's salary, which is not nearly as lucrative as adventuring.
The balcony's wood is cool beneath his bare feet and the gentle wind snags at his loose lounge clothes and buffets his unbound hair away from his face, still a little damp from being scrubbed clean. With every bit of fondness he feels for him--and gods, that is so much as to be unquantifiable--he presses a kiss to the curve of Essek's neck and lays a hand on his waist, feeling cool skin against his lips and expensive silk against his palm. Caleb breathes in deep, smelling a familiar jasmine and neroli oil cologne. Despite his partner's limited means, Essek's tastes haven't changed.
"Do you want to rest here?"
His voice is low and warm, and he lays another kiss further up toward Essek's ear for good measure.
"I can still cast the tower if you would prefer to be somewhere more familiar."
They both know that the Chateau is safe, especially with the precautions they've already taken, but Caleb of all people would understand if Essek would feel more comfortable in his own bed. Or their own bed in the tower, at least, which is just as good as home.
Essek thinks that Caleb's salary is a joke: the man's theoretical understanding and practical application of magic far outstrips what most of the Assembly can manage, never mind the service he has done to the Empire in laying bare corruption and--But he is hardly in a position that allows him to be an advocate. He almost declined to come, not because he truly wished to miss the occasion, but because of the potential visibility of it.
But, with some convincing, he'd spent the entire night as... himself. The party had been quite intimate, all told, and he'd eventually been able to relax. The last thing he wants is for any harm to come to the Nein due to his presence. And after a loud and raucous evening downstairs, he finds himself grateful for the quiet of the night. The fresh air coming off the water, the sound of waves crashing below and--ah, there.
A smile flickers to life as a warm hand brushes over his waist, followed by lips against his neck. Essek tips his head enough to be inviting, though he keeps his gaze on the reflection of the moons on the water. The offer earns a soft sigh and he drops a hand to rest over Caleb's.
"It seems a shame to waste the room," he says. He would feel more secure in the tower, it's true. But this is the first time they've been out together in quite some time. And he isn't including dining together in public in Rexxentrum, in part because he is never Essek Thelyss in Rexxentrum. Not until the door is closed and the wards are in place in Caleb's modest, comfortable home.
He turns his head, letting his lips brush whatever part of Caleb he can reach.
Still against Essek's neck, Caleb hums noncommittally. The room is very nice, but he can create something just as good in the tower. And Essek's comfort matters to him above all. The drow's lips brush his cheek, rough with several weeks' worth of beard, and Caleb presses closer against him, curling his other arm around him fully.
"I do not feel denied anything so long as we are together."
Essek is the greatest love of his life, as he's told him many times. Though they've spent much of the last several years living together, Caleb still finds his mere presence exciting and comforting and stimulating, and suspects he always will, whether they are exploring arcane mysteries the depths of Aeor or dodging the cats at their feet while attempting to cook together in his kitchen in Rexxentrum.
"Have I mentioned how handsome you look tonight?" He has, definitely, but it bears repeating.
"You might have mentioned it five or six times," he answers with a coy smile. He reaches back to stroke his fingers along Caleb's cheek. "But I am happy to hear it again."
This is something Essek never expected to have. At best, he hoped to be left alone to pursue his work. And in his ambition, he could have lost everything but, somehow, he found the Nein. Or rather, they found him. And kept finding him. And this man, Caleb Widogast... he is something - someone - Essek could never have accounted for. The love he feels is terrifying. But he doesn't want to hold it at arm's length anymore. Every second he can squeeze out of this life with Caleb is one he wants to savor.
And if Caleb wants to spend some of those precious seconds complimenting him? Far be it from Essek to stop him. He closes his eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth of his lover pressed against his back, the clean scent of him. The utter familiarity of his touch. It's been years, and even with all of their domesticity, that touch still excites him. All it takes is a calculated brush of fingers, or the right look in Caleb's eyes, and Essek feels lost all over again.
"I think we owe it to Jester to at least try the bed," he says mildly. "Since the Chateau went through the trouble of closing tonight just for all of us."
That smile gets him every time. Essek knows exactly how lovely he is just as he knows exactly how smart he is, and Caleb loves that about him. He grins, following the line of Essek's ear. His lips skim over delicate jewelry and close in a gentle scrape of teeth over the pointed tip.
"You are right, of course. How could we pass on the opportunity to make love in such a renowned house of pleasure?" His hand squeezes for emphasis just as the other is already working to untie the knot holding his silken sash in place, wound around and around to accentuate Essek's slim waist.
Caleb's hands are quick and skilled, but he's taking his time. Essek is in his arms, his hair smells like lavender, the night air around them is fresh and crisp, and for the first time in more than a year they'd spent an evening with all of their friends together, happy and safe. He couldn't be in a better mood.
"We can leave the balcony door open and enjoy the ocean breeze," he suggests. Though there's humor in his voice, he isn't joking at all.
He takes a deeper breath to hide the hitch as Caleb's lips and teeth tease over his ear. The attention sends pleasant chills slithering down his back and Essek manages to sound steady as he exhales.
There is something very charming in just how suggestible Caleb is, how eager at the slightest sign of agreement. And, much to his own surprise, Essek's desire is suddenly a very present part of his life. Every time he looks at Caleb, he can feel the possibility of that warmth. And it's difficult not to be caught up in the mood of the evening, the levity and tenderness of friends reunited. And in how happy it makes Caleb.
The way the silk moves against his skin inspires another shiver and Essek decidedly doesn't help Caleb in his mission. But he doesn't hinder his lover, either. Instead, his other hand slides back to feel what Caleb has put on and his fingers find their way beneath the other man's shirt until he is rewarded with the warmth of Caleb's bare skin.
"This isn't the bed, kallis..."
But there is a smile in Essek's voice and a flash of sharper teeth as the expression blossoms across his face.
His own shirt is thin linen, slightly large on his slender frame, and Essek is able to get a hand beneath it easily. He doesn't bother stifling his own shiver at the feel of cool fingers against the warm skin of his stomach.
"An astute observation, meine liebe," he teases. And because he truly can't resist Essek's smile, he leans down to kiss him properly, covering his mouth with a warm but insistent press of his lips. Fine silk flows like water between his fingers, and with the knot undone, Caleb pulls on the sash to unwind it until the fabric falls limp in his hand, detached from Essek entirely.
Aware of his lover's preference for modesty, he doesn't move to undress him any further here. But he does continue to kiss him with an arm around his waist, sweet and adoring and increasingly heated. He's been desperately attracted to Essek since they first met, but loving him has grown that attraction tenfold. He still feels immensely lucky every time he's reminded of how much Essek wants him, too. And they remind each other often.
Caleb's lips barely leave Essek's to murmur, "Let me carry you inside?" He's made similar requests many times. Essek is relatively light to begin with, but when he floats, he may as well weigh nothing at all. Which enables even Caleb, notoriously lacking in strength, to have the pleasure of picking his lover up and taking him to bed. With a little help, at least.
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bakerstreet2021-09-07 09:10 pm
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