[ It seems he's found the very thing Eridanus had needed to hear. As the tension drains from the other man, from his face to his posture to those claws digging so indelicately into his shoulders, Lucius' frustration evaporates as quickly as it came. A smile grows along his mouth again, close-lipped and pleased, and as those hands drop from his shoulders, Lucius lifts his own. Eridanus' lips brush so cutely against his forehead, and Lucius grazes the tips of his fingers along the back of his neck in a gesture of acceptance.
By the time Eridanus turns from him to retrieve that bottle, Lucius' own eyes are creased with indulgence. Eridanus drinks straight from the bottle, and Lucius feels nothing but pleased at the way the other man lets decorum slip. When the wine is handed back, he does the sameโthough the sip he takes is shorter, the tips of his claws teasing at the small of Eridanus' back as he pulls straight from the mouth of the bottle. They graze up the arc of his spine, with just enough pressure to be felt, and then come to a rest between his shoulder blades as Lucius gently urges him back toward the (now damaged) couch. ]
That's right. Close your eyes and listen to the sound of your heart beating in your chest. It aches for you to live free as your truest self. [ As Lucius guides him down beside him, those fingers again come to slide along the back of his neck, stroking through the hair at his nape with a slow, soothing touch. He lifts the bottle to his lips again, and when he moves to pass it to Eridanus' mouth once more, he runs his tongue along the full shape of his lips with a deliberate slowness. ] You're already so beautiful, hungry beast, and you can still be so much more.
[ It's more than empty flattery, and perhaps that is more surprising to Lucius than anyone. He shivers with the thought, aching at the delightful image of the Diadem's decks with his new pet at his side. ]
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By the time Eridanus turns from him to retrieve that bottle, Lucius' own eyes are creased with indulgence. Eridanus drinks straight from the bottle, and Lucius feels nothing but pleased at the way the other man lets decorum slip. When the wine is handed back, he does the sameโthough the sip he takes is shorter, the tips of his claws teasing at the small of Eridanus' back as he pulls straight from the mouth of the bottle. They graze up the arc of his spine, with just enough pressure to be felt, and then come to a rest between his shoulder blades as Lucius gently urges him back toward the (now damaged) couch. ]
That's right. Close your eyes and listen to the sound of your heart beating in your chest. It aches for you to live free as your truest self. [ As Lucius guides him down beside him, those fingers again come to slide along the back of his neck, stroking through the hair at his nape with a slow, soothing touch. He lifts the bottle to his lips again, and when he moves to pass it to Eridanus' mouth once more, he runs his tongue along the full shape of his lips with a deliberate slowness. ] You're already so beautiful, hungry beast, and you can still be so much more.
[ It's more than empty flattery, and perhaps that is more surprising to Lucius than anyone. He shivers with the thought, aching at the delightful image of the Diadem's decks with his new pet at his side. ]