[Eridanus' tail flicks behind him, inaudible in the pleasure those words bring him, but apparent nonetheless.]
I am now one thousand and thirty-six years old, but a sneeze in comparison to your own lifespan. [He chuckles at the thought as he pulls the carved wooden rows free from the case and begins to slot them together. As the board comes together, the intricately embellished oak and white spruce rows would be reminiscent of the checkered pattern of a chess board, were it a game that could fit as many pieces as fethesi has.]
I'm honored you would indulge me, though I think you'll find fethesi to be sufficiently challenging. I have only ever been bested at it by one other person, the man that taught me. [Eridanus places the pieces as he continuesâforty per side of the boardâwith the ones poised before Lucius being made of delicately carved glass, and the ones before him the same, but of carved rosewood.]
The rules are simple, each of us have forty pieces, every piece may only move forwards, diagonally, or horizontally, with the goal to be the capture of your opponents regent. [He continues to explain the rules of the game, repeating as necessary for Lucius, before fixing him with a calm smile over the rim of his glass of moonshine.] If it all makes sense, then as customary, glass makes the first move.
[ Indeed, it looks like an extra large chessboardâor, from Lucius' perspective, a squared regicide board. Lucius leans back in his seat, glass full of moonshine in his hand, and at first, his only response to that proclamation from Eridanus is a soft click of his tongue against the back of his teeth.
To the explanation of the rules themselves, he says, ] It sounds quite like regicide. Many of my brothers played that game together to pass the time, but I never saw the point of it myself. Hone your strategies all you like, but a game of rote movements will never teach you to dominate a battlefield.
[ But here Lucius is, straightening to better regard the board. Frankly, it's only because Eridanus has asked him for an occasion of importance that Lucius intends to make an effort; he thinks of what fethesi pieces had aligned in their movements, more or less, with those of regicide, and what few opening gambits he had bothered to learn over the course of a century and a half of being roped into occasional games, and it's attempting to thread that needle that gives him his opening move. He'll work out the rest as he goes. ]
[As contemplation of the first move flickers across Lucius' face, Eridanus busies himself with his own glass of moonshine. He takes a long, savoring sip of itâappreciating the way it sears down his throat and warms his belly in a way that shudders pleasant, heady influence up his spine.
His gaze rakes over Lucius, enjoying the way his typical, impish expression has hardened with concentration. Boyish mirth has been replaced with a sternness more fit for a king at a sand table, than the man he knows Lucius to be. Those rakishly handsome looks are dangerous, Eridanus muses to himself, perhaps even deadlier than his ability to kill.]
Do you know why this game of strategy is popular across realms and times, alike? [He hums as he sits forward,] it's because the core of it remains uncontested, it's use immeasurable. Surely, not in a one on one duel, but if we were kings â or Emperors â commanding legions, than the skill of moving soldiers in a strategy to best your opponent, is one that could mean life or death.
[Unlike Lucius, Eridanus does not contemplate his move for long. He glances down at the board, his moonshine still poised as if he means to take another sip, as he sets forward one of the frontline soldiers.]
I like this side of you, your serious side. I'd like to see more of it.
Edited (yells at dreamwidth) 2020-11-13 03:47 (UTC)
[ He looks up, and whether in defiance or demonstration, a grin of needle-sharp teeth blooms across his face. ]
And yet, I was promoted to lead before brothers older than I. [ His eyes dip down to the board in front of them, and this time, his smile doesn't fade as keen eyes study the pieces at hand. ] Clearly, toys on the board didn't help them learn the realities of command as I did.
[ His eyes linger more on Eridanus' movement than they do his own, and then he slides another piece ahead. ]
Such games are popular because they allow the intellectual sort their own manner of duel, and because they like to flatter themselves with fantasies that it makes them a master of tactics. You know as well as I do that real battles aren't fought on a square grid of rigid rules.
[He laughs, soft and dulcet, as Lucius grins his way. Whether it is an act of defiance or not, Eridanus enjoys it just as much as his face pinched with thought. It was that selfish, unfettered personality that drew him to his Eternal in the first place, after all.]
Competence is not limited to just the mind. [He watches Lucius' next move, a response to his own, and he sets his glass of moonshine off to the side of the board. His elbow comes to rest on his knee, his claws curling against his maw as if he was trying to cradle his chin with thought, but the opal guarding it hinders the attempt.
After a moment of pause, Eridanus takes one of his dawnstriders â a knight-like piece â and sets it forward. Once his move is made, he straightens.]
And is it so bad that us scholarly types like to have duels of our own? We both know I won't best you with a sword, but perhaps in this duel, I shall rise above the Eternal. [He smiles, knowing full well his words are borderline traitorous, and yet, the thought of defeating Lucius in such a game tickles him with excitement.] Otherwise, a real battle between us would have to occur when I have my magic, once more.
Well, if you don't, that would be quite the embarrassment.
[ Lucius waves a dismissive hand, and as his own cheek settles against his knuckles, he again allows his eyes to linger over Eridanus' half of the board. There is a moment where he says nothing, presumably thinking about his next moveâexcept, even as his hand reaches toward the board, his eyes lift toward Eridanus' face across from him. ]
So? What is it that we're wagering?
[ They might as well do something to make this more fun, as Lucius sees it. ]
[Eridanus huffs laughter as he snatches up his moonshine once more. He's part way through a sip when Lucius' next question catches in his overlong ears. They perk, his interest piqued, and he lowers the rim of his cup from his lips.
He hadn't thought about wagers, the prospect of winning or losing interesting enough for him. Eridanus hums in thought, leaning back in his seat and pulling his leg up as he does. He crosses his ankle over the opposite knee, her free hand resting comfortably against his thigh.]
Hmm... well, if you best me, what would you like? It is not as if I haven't given you everything you've wanted of me. [A pause,] but when I best you, I want to carve my own sigil into your skin.
[ That answer sparks something in Luciusâthough it is clearly not something good. The easy set of his shoulders stiffens, and whether he means for them to or not, his felid ears flatten in irritation as he lowers his eyes back to the game board between them. ]
No. [ The word is short and clipped. ] That is the one thing I won't allow.
[For a moment, Eridanus is stunned silent. The shift in mood, the way Lucius stiffens, the finality in his toneâit cuts, but rather than hurt, he's confused.]
And why not? [He manages to keep his own voice calm, with no trace of that confusion found within it.] Your body has been battle-scarred before, what is one of my own?
[The claw that rests on his thigh twitches, and the gaze he casts Lucius is unwavering.]
I'm not upset if you do not want that, but at least give me a reason.
A pet does not collar its master. [ Even if Eridanus has come to be far more than a pet to him, the metaphorâand the principleâstill stands. Some of his typical cadence returns to his voice as he adds, ] You're lucky that I don't take such a request as an insult and remind you of your place.
[ As his fingers reach for his glass anew, he casts a glance upward, his golden eyes sharp. ]
If you wish to leave a mark on me, become a swordsman worth wearing on my face.
[He's silent for a long moment, the weight within the air so stifling, that if Eridanus were to swallow, surely the sound would be heard. His own gaze is unwavering though, meeting those golden eyes with silent challenge, until finallyâhe exhales a long-held breath.]
Then I will practice every day. [Eridanus sits straighter as he says it,] however long it takes â years, decades, centuries â I will be worthy of a mark upon the canvas of your face.
[And then, he raises his glass to his lips once more, swallowing an indulgent mouthful. When he pulls his drink from his lips, and sets it aside, he takes a moment to slide one of his frontline pieces forward.]
[ Lucius' lips part, and the pique worn upon his face melts away. That answer earns Eridanus a satisfied cooânot simply for the substance of it, but for the dedication that sits at its core. As quickly as displeasure had come, it is gone, and suddenly, the space of a game board between them feels like far too much.
Lucius rises, and it is nearly the same movement of sliding from his chair that has him seated in Eridanus' lap. Foot rubbing against his calf, fingers brushing through the hair at his nape, Lucius purrs, ] There is little that would bring me more joy than to watch you do so, alongside all your other beauty.
[ Centuries is more likely, of courseâbut, somehow, that fact only makes the affection in his breast swell higher.
But if they remain like this, they aren't likely to finish their game. Not that it particularly matters to Lucius, but Eridanus had seemed so eager for itâhe rises again, smile turning impish as he goes. ]
It's not how I typically like to be made to submit, but I'll allow it. You're right â you've already given me whatever it is I might ask for.
[ Though he could always come up with more, should it come to that. ]
[Eridanus' own hardened expression falters as he watches Lucius. They had been like two animalsâheads lowered, hackles raised in one momentâand then the next, it was as if the displeasure of their conversation had never occurred. His own ears unpin from the sides of his head (he hadn't even realized they had laid flat against his skull), as Lucius slides from his own seat and into his lap instead.
As naturally as breathing, Eridanus snakes a hand around his Eternal's hip, pulling him into his body. His own pleased, melodic purr fills the space of silence between words, and he leans towards his Eternal with unfurling desire. He's about to shove his mouth to Lucius' neck before the felid is gone from his lap just as soon as he'd arrived.
Like a whisper on the wind, Lucius is ever-unreachable.]
When I am made to work for what I truly desire, all else will pale in comparison. [Eridanus huffs back as he watches the dancing form of his lover claim his own chair once more.] Not that I particularly dislike the thought, of course. The saying of "practice makes perfect" exists for a reason.
[He leans back in his chair, the very picture of a king who sits lazily on his throne, as his intense gaze levels at Lucius.] But you must pick something, if we are to wager. Why not invite other tortures upon me? Surely there are some we've yet to enjoy together.
[ The promise of a true challenge is as scintillating as everâbut that is a prospect to be nurtured over a span of mortal lifetimes, and the charm of Eridanus' answer is far more immediate. It coils together with the warmth of moonshine in his gut, and as Lucius settles back into his seat, he draws his heel to the edge of his chair in an indolent posture of his own. ]
You wouldn't be so suited as my consort otherwise. [ As his cheek lolls into his knuckles, his gaze never leaves Eridanus' eyes. ] Funny that you understand so well what it means to be a man of the Emperor's Children, when so many of my brothers have forgotten their pride.
[ To devote oneself wholly to even the smallest goal, and to seek perfection in all things... Lucius sighs, the sound fond, and a feline purr rumbles its edges. ]
But, true enough â there is always more you might offer me. [ Even if, in the moment, he feels utterly content with Eridanus' words of dedication anew. ] You've yet to taste my venom in your veins. Perhaps it would bring you pleasure to end this day with your very blood alight with my favor?
[Consort. It echoes within Eridanus' mind, quieting any other thought that is left straying. As he stares at Lucius with eyes wide in stunned silence, he knows Lucius is not the type to be romantic in the common senseâbut he is also not the type to say anything with half-assed sentiment.
His gaze falls half lidded, and when he reaches for his glass once more, it never strays from the intensity of his Eternal's own. He pulls a mouthful of moonshine, rolling it across his tongue and savoring its promethium burn as it slides down his gullet.
Rather than questioning Lucius on his intention, Eridanus allows the title to settle within his thoughts. Affection unfurls with his chest, and he's no longer thinking about fethesi. His mind has been pulled back to their ceremonies priorâto the importance they both have claimed within the other's life.]
A pot of pleasure versus one of pain â you certainly know how to tease a man, Lucius. [He sighs wetly around the words, clears his throat, then bends forward to set his drink aside once more.
A huff of laughter escapes him, and he leans his weight to one side. Sudden warmth has laid flushed claim to his face, and he knows it isn't because of the moonshine that his heart and mind are both swimming. Words though, words will distract him from such an embarrassing proclamation.]
Why not both, is what I would say, were these not the terms for winning and losing. To feel your body writhe in pleasure as my own wracks with excruciating pain â that would be a bliss like no other.
It surely would be. [ The his laugh, low and dripping with honeyed amusement, isn't for those flirtatious words. It doesn't escape Lucius, the way embarrassment rises in the color of Eridanus' cheeks, or how the alien green of his eyes had widened so, or just how long it has been since any piece on the board has been touched. ] But is that not the nature of a wager? I wonder, Eridanus...
[ Lucius trails off, humming as if in thought. His fingers find his own glass, and as he lifts it to his lips, he makes a show of the slow and idle sip he drinks of it. Over the rim of that glass, Lucius' eyes roam with a scrutinizing gaze, studying every line drawn across Eridanus' face as if the contents of his heart were scrawled in the set of his mouth and the furrow of his brow.
Finally, though, the glass lowers, and Lucius cocks his head, the smile pulled across his lips a sly one. ] Whose turn is it again? It's been so long since you've touched the board that I've lost track.
[As keen, cat-like eyes rake over his form, Eridanus feels as if his flesh is being flensed away bit by agonizing bit; as if that aureate gaze intends to carve his soul from the vessel of his body and claim it, then and there.
Beneath Lucius' gaze he feels his body shiver, heat clawing up and down his spine with the familiar desire to consume and be consumed overwhelming his rationality. The hand that has remained resting against his thigh curls, claw-tips catching against the fabric of his trousers, ripping small holes in them, and cutting carelessly at the flesh beneath.
When he finally remembers to breathe, it's a quiet shudder. No doubt, Lucius can hear the way his heart thunders against his ribcage in a wardrum's beat. His pulse is loud in his ears, and between flushed cheeks and opal maw, his mouth splits in a sheepish grin.]
You are such a cruel flirt. [He exhales and shakes his head, the loose ashen blond around his face swaying with the movement.] I've forgotten if you made your move or not, I was far too distracted by you.
[ He must hear it, with the way his ears twitch, their tufted tips accentuating their every movement. He certainly hears that shaking breath, and at the sound of it, his coy smile pulls wider, the thin glint of teeth peering through full lips growing with it. ]
And you were the one so eager to play. [ A thought comes to him, of seeing how long he might draw this game out against the fraying of his dear beast's patience, and his posture sinks in his seat. Beneath the table, he stretches his leg between them, the padded toes of one foot dragging along Eridanus' shin. ] Does something that I've said trouble you, beloved Champion of mine?
Yet, [the syllable drips with desire, no more masked than what Lucius has already noticed.] You have not informed me if you made your move or not.
[Eridanus shifts from his lounging posture, and brings that clawed hand that had gouged holes in his pantsleg as if his fraying control depended on it, up to his collar. One long, glimmering talon hooks into the knot of his tie, loosing it from his neck, so that he can undo the top two buttons of his shirt.]
If you are feeling peckish, my Lord, then I'll be sure to best you quickly so that you may feast. [He leans towards the board once more, his claw hovering over the pieces,] is it your turn... or mine?
Me? All I've done is match your mood, you ravenous beast. [ And yet, his tongue licks over his teeth, expression unchanged from its cast of playful humor. His cat's eyes linger on those dark, opalescent fingers as they reach for Eridanus' throat, gaze falling half-lidded as they unclothe that slim snatch of skin that had been jealously guarded by his ever-formal attire. ]
It is yours. [ Beneath the table, his clawed toes tease against Eridanus' ankle. ] But, of course, if you hunger, there is nothing to stop you from claiming your heart's desire now.
[Once more the game of cat and mouse begins, Eridanus thinks, and Lucius is so cruelly good at it. He pulls his tie free and winds it around his claws before setting it aside, neat and proper.]
The pot calls the kettle black. [A short laugh gusts from Eridanus, and he leans forward to make his move, just as Lucius' toes find his ankle. They draw up the tailored hem of his trousers, and the sock that covers his flesh is not nearly enough buffer to hinder the touch that sends electric excitement through his skin.
Eridanus swallows, feeling the way his adam's apple moves sluggishly in his throat, and quickly moves one of his frontline pieces forward to claim one of Lucius'. He sets the carved piece aside, and levels his lascivious gaze across the table as he sits back.]
You just want to be free of a boring game, don't you? [He grins lopsidedly,] then I urge you to lose quickly.
Your words, not mine. [ Lucius certainly doesn't seem flustered by the loss of that piece, sure enough. And yet, his next move isn't careless; the tip of his finger traces over the pieces left to him, claws continuing to tease beneath Eridanus' pant leg as Lucius takes his time deciding his next move.
When he makes it at last, his gaze lift back to Eridanus across from him, cat-slit eyes hooded with mischief. ]
But, on the contrary, you couldn't be more wrong. You and I are simply playing two different games.
You wish to see my patience crack before I can win, do you? [Eridanus smiles over the board at Lucius, sharp and satisfied with the turn of events.
Regardless of the way that toe-claw shivers pleasant sensation through his skin, there is only one thing that can truly focus Eridanus' mindâand that's a challenge. Pride births competitive nature after all, and he is much too used to winning to let the coy cat he plays with best him in such a disgraceful way.
Eridanus' gaze drops to the board, and focus wrinkles his brow. As he contemplates his next move, his tongue drags idly over his upper lip, only to be pinched at the corner of his mouth as he finally chooses the piece to set forward. Once he's made sure of his move, he removes his clawed fingers from the piece and raises his gaze back towards Lucius.]
This is rather nostalgic, actually. I don't have many good memories of my father, but I am at least thankful he introduced me to fethesi.
I think it makes a far more appropriate contest between us, [ Lucius answers, with a smile sharp and impish to match.
Which makes it a clever gambit on Eridanus' part to shift the conversation to such a melancholy subject. Lucius' foot slides from its place beneath the cuff of Eridanus' slacks, its arch coming to rest over the back of Eridanus' foot instead. ]
Trying to distract with less appealing thoughts, Eridanus? [ The cadence to his voice suggests teasing, but but there's a measure of seriousness to it that belies his playful manner. His eyes drop to the board, and again, his eyes are focused on Eridanus' half of the board as he considers the moves he had taken last. ] It's true that it takes a special kind of man to have nothing redeeming about him.
[ And yet, he doesn't change the subject. It's one that is beyond him, more so than fethesi or regicide or chess, he hungers to know all of Eridanus' heart as much as Eridanus yearns for more of his. ]
[Eridanus reclines in his chair, enjoying the sight of Lucius' brow furrowed in concentration as the playfulness of a moment prior passes. As that foot settles comfortably over his, he takes up his glass once more between the tips of his opal claws.]
Distract? No, I would never use the very same tactic as my Eternal. [He smiles over the lip of his glass towards the hunched figure of Lucius, before taking a slow sip of moonshine. As it burns a path down his throat, the glass is set aside once more and he wiggles his toes beneath Lucius' footâcatching his toe-claws against the skin of the other's heel.
He leans his weight forward, bracing his elbows against his thighs, but his gaze shifts. It casts sideways, like Eridanus is staring off in the distance, suddenly entranced with old memories.]
He wasn't always so awful, not until my arcane ability manifested. [Eridanus folds his hands together,] he taught me fethesi before then, always saying that it's imperative for an aristocrat to be disciplined in all things. Logic, music, swordsmanship. Magic simply became another one of those things.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
I am now one thousand and thirty-six years old, but a sneeze in comparison to your own lifespan. [He chuckles at the thought as he pulls the carved wooden rows free from the case and begins to slot them together. As the board comes together, the intricately embellished oak and white spruce rows would be reminiscent of the checkered pattern of a chess board, were it a game that could fit as many pieces as fethesi has.]
I'm honored you would indulge me, though I think you'll find fethesi to be sufficiently challenging. I have only ever been bested at it by one other person, the man that taught me. [Eridanus places the pieces as he continuesâforty per side of the boardâwith the ones poised before Lucius being made of delicately carved glass, and the ones before him the same, but of carved rosewood.]
The rules are simple, each of us have forty pieces, every piece may only move forwards, diagonally, or horizontally, with the goal to be the capture of your opponents regent. [He continues to explain the rules of the game, repeating as necessary for Lucius, before fixing him with a calm smile over the rim of his glass of moonshine.] If it all makes sense, then as customary, glass makes the first move.
no subject
[ Indeed, it looks like an extra large chessboardâor, from Lucius' perspective, a squared regicide board. Lucius leans back in his seat, glass full of moonshine in his hand, and at first, his only response to that proclamation from Eridanus is a soft click of his tongue against the back of his teeth.
To the explanation of the rules themselves, he says, ] It sounds quite like regicide. Many of my brothers played that game together to pass the time, but I never saw the point of it myself. Hone your strategies all you like, but a game of rote movements will never teach you to dominate a battlefield.
[ But here Lucius is, straightening to better regard the board. Frankly, it's only because Eridanus has asked him for an occasion of importance that Lucius intends to make an effort; he thinks of what fethesi pieces had aligned in their movements, more or less, with those of regicide, and what few opening gambits he had bothered to learn over the course of a century and a half of being roped into occasional games, and it's attempting to thread that needle that gives him his opening move. He'll work out the rest as he goes. ]
no subject
His gaze rakes over Lucius, enjoying the way his typical, impish expression has hardened with concentration. Boyish mirth has been replaced with a sternness more fit for a king at a sand table, than the man he knows Lucius to be. Those rakishly handsome looks are dangerous, Eridanus muses to himself, perhaps even deadlier than his ability to kill.]
Do you know why this game of strategy is popular across realms and times, alike? [He hums as he sits forward,] it's because the core of it remains uncontested, it's use immeasurable. Surely, not in a one on one duel, but if we were kings â or Emperors â commanding legions, than the skill of moving soldiers in a strategy to best your opponent, is one that could mean life or death.
[Unlike Lucius, Eridanus does not contemplate his move for long. He glances down at the board, his moonshine still poised as if he means to take another sip, as he sets forward one of the frontline soldiers.]
I like this side of you, your serious side. I'd like to see more of it.
no subject
[ He looks up, and whether in defiance or demonstration, a grin of needle-sharp teeth blooms across his face. ]
And yet, I was promoted to lead before brothers older than I. [ His eyes dip down to the board in front of them, and this time, his smile doesn't fade as keen eyes study the pieces at hand. ] Clearly, toys on the board didn't help them learn the realities of command as I did.
[ His eyes linger more on Eridanus' movement than they do his own, and then he slides another piece ahead. ]
Such games are popular because they allow the intellectual sort their own manner of duel, and because they like to flatter themselves with fantasies that it makes them a master of tactics. You know as well as I do that real battles aren't fought on a square grid of rigid rules.
no subject
Competence is not limited to just the mind. [He watches Lucius' next move, a response to his own, and he sets his glass of moonshine off to the side of the board. His elbow comes to rest on his knee, his claws curling against his maw as if he was trying to cradle his chin with thought, but the opal guarding it hinders the attempt.
After a moment of pause, Eridanus takes one of his dawnstriders â a knight-like piece â and sets it forward. Once his move is made, he straightens.]
And is it so bad that us scholarly types like to have duels of our own? We both know I won't best you with a sword, but perhaps in this duel, I shall rise above the Eternal. [He smiles, knowing full well his words are borderline traitorous, and yet, the thought of defeating Lucius in such a game tickles him with excitement.] Otherwise, a real battle between us would have to occur when I have my magic, once more.
no subject
[ Lucius waves a dismissive hand, and as his own cheek settles against his knuckles, he again allows his eyes to linger over Eridanus' half of the board. There is a moment where he says nothing, presumably thinking about his next moveâexcept, even as his hand reaches toward the board, his eyes lift toward Eridanus' face across from him. ]
So? What is it that we're wagering?
[ They might as well do something to make this more fun, as Lucius sees it. ]
no subject
He hadn't thought about wagers, the prospect of winning or losing interesting enough for him. Eridanus hums in thought, leaning back in his seat and pulling his leg up as he does. He crosses his ankle over the opposite knee, her free hand resting comfortably against his thigh.]
Hmm... well, if you best me, what would you like? It is not as if I haven't given you everything you've wanted of me. [A pause,] but when I best you, I want to carve my own sigil into your skin.
no subject
No. [ The word is short and clipped. ] That is the one thing I won't allow.
no subject
And why not? [He manages to keep his own voice calm, with no trace of that confusion found within it.] Your body has been battle-scarred before, what is one of my own?
[The claw that rests on his thigh twitches, and the gaze he casts Lucius is unwavering.]
I'm not upset if you do not want that, but at least give me a reason.
no subject
[ As his fingers reach for his glass anew, he casts a glance upward, his golden eyes sharp. ]
If you wish to leave a mark on me, become a swordsman worth wearing on my face.
no subject
Then I will practice every day. [Eridanus sits straighter as he says it,] however long it takes â years, decades, centuries â I will be worthy of a mark upon the canvas of your face.
[And then, he raises his glass to his lips once more, swallowing an indulgent mouthful. When he pulls his drink from his lips, and sets it aside, he takes a moment to slide one of his frontline pieces forward.]
Then... I guess fucking you wouldn't be so bad.
no subject
Lucius rises, and it is nearly the same movement of sliding from his chair that has him seated in Eridanus' lap. Foot rubbing against his calf, fingers brushing through the hair at his nape, Lucius purrs, ] There is little that would bring me more joy than to watch you do so, alongside all your other beauty.
[ Centuries is more likely, of courseâbut, somehow, that fact only makes the affection in his breast swell higher.
But if they remain like this, they aren't likely to finish their game. Not that it particularly matters to Lucius, but Eridanus had seemed so eager for itâhe rises again, smile turning impish as he goes. ]
It's not how I typically like to be made to submit, but I'll allow it. You're right â you've already given me whatever it is I might ask for.
[ Though he could always come up with more, should it come to that. ]
no subject
As naturally as breathing, Eridanus snakes a hand around his Eternal's hip, pulling him into his body. His own pleased, melodic purr fills the space of silence between words, and he leans towards his Eternal with unfurling desire. He's about to shove his mouth to Lucius' neck before the felid is gone from his lap just as soon as he'd arrived.
Like a whisper on the wind, Lucius is ever-unreachable.]
When I am made to work for what I truly desire, all else will pale in comparison. [Eridanus huffs back as he watches the dancing form of his lover claim his own chair once more.] Not that I particularly dislike the thought, of course. The saying of "practice makes perfect" exists for a reason.
[He leans back in his chair, the very picture of a king who sits lazily on his throne, as his intense gaze levels at Lucius.] But you must pick something, if we are to wager. Why not invite other tortures upon me? Surely there are some we've yet to enjoy together.
no subject
You wouldn't be so suited as my consort otherwise. [ As his cheek lolls into his knuckles, his gaze never leaves Eridanus' eyes. ] Funny that you understand so well what it means to be a man of the Emperor's Children, when so many of my brothers have forgotten their pride.
[ To devote oneself wholly to even the smallest goal, and to seek perfection in all things... Lucius sighs, the sound fond, and a feline purr rumbles its edges. ]
But, true enough â there is always more you might offer me. [ Even if, in the moment, he feels utterly content with Eridanus' words of dedication anew. ] You've yet to taste my venom in your veins. Perhaps it would bring you pleasure to end this day with your very blood alight with my favor?
no subject
His gaze falls half lidded, and when he reaches for his glass once more, it never strays from the intensity of his Eternal's own. He pulls a mouthful of moonshine, rolling it across his tongue and savoring its promethium burn as it slides down his gullet.
Rather than questioning Lucius on his intention, Eridanus allows the title to settle within his thoughts. Affection unfurls with his chest, and he's no longer thinking about fethesi. His mind has been pulled back to their ceremonies priorâto the importance they both have claimed within the other's life.]
A pot of pleasure versus one of pain â you certainly know how to tease a man, Lucius. [He sighs wetly around the words, clears his throat, then bends forward to set his drink aside once more.
A huff of laughter escapes him, and he leans his weight to one side. Sudden warmth has laid flushed claim to his face, and he knows it isn't because of the moonshine that his heart and mind are both swimming. Words though, words will distract him from such an embarrassing proclamation.]
Why not both, is what I would say, were these not the terms for winning and losing. To feel your body writhe in pleasure as my own wracks with excruciating pain â that would be a bliss like no other.
no subject
[ Lucius trails off, humming as if in thought. His fingers find his own glass, and as he lifts it to his lips, he makes a show of the slow and idle sip he drinks of it. Over the rim of that glass, Lucius' eyes roam with a scrutinizing gaze, studying every line drawn across Eridanus' face as if the contents of his heart were scrawled in the set of his mouth and the furrow of his brow.
Finally, though, the glass lowers, and Lucius cocks his head, the smile pulled across his lips a sly one. ] Whose turn is it again? It's been so long since you've touched the board that I've lost track.
no subject
Beneath Lucius' gaze he feels his body shiver, heat clawing up and down his spine with the familiar desire to consume and be consumed overwhelming his rationality. The hand that has remained resting against his thigh curls, claw-tips catching against the fabric of his trousers, ripping small holes in them, and cutting carelessly at the flesh beneath.
When he finally remembers to breathe, it's a quiet shudder. No doubt, Lucius can hear the way his heart thunders against his ribcage in a wardrum's beat. His pulse is loud in his ears, and between flushed cheeks and opal maw, his mouth splits in a sheepish grin.]
You are such a cruel flirt. [He exhales and shakes his head, the loose ashen blond around his face swaying with the movement.] I've forgotten if you made your move or not, I was far too distracted by you.
no subject
And you were the one so eager to play. [ A thought comes to him, of seeing how long he might draw this game out against the fraying of his dear beast's patience, and his posture sinks in his seat. Beneath the table, he stretches his leg between them, the padded toes of one foot dragging along Eridanus' shin. ] Does something that I've said trouble you, beloved Champion of mine?
no subject
[Eridanus shifts from his lounging posture, and brings that clawed hand that had gouged holes in his pantsleg as if his fraying control depended on it, up to his collar. One long, glimmering talon hooks into the knot of his tie, loosing it from his neck, so that he can undo the top two buttons of his shirt.]
If you are feeling peckish, my Lord, then I'll be sure to best you quickly so that you may feast. [He leans towards the board once more, his claw hovering over the pieces,] is it your turn... or mine?
no subject
It is yours. [ Beneath the table, his clawed toes tease against Eridanus' ankle. ] But, of course, if you hunger, there is nothing to stop you from claiming your heart's desire now.
no subject
The pot calls the kettle black. [A short laugh gusts from Eridanus, and he leans forward to make his move, just as Lucius' toes find his ankle. They draw up the tailored hem of his trousers, and the sock that covers his flesh is not nearly enough buffer to hinder the touch that sends electric excitement through his skin.
Eridanus swallows, feeling the way his adam's apple moves sluggishly in his throat, and quickly moves one of his frontline pieces forward to claim one of Lucius'. He sets the carved piece aside, and levels his lascivious gaze across the table as he sits back.]
You just want to be free of a boring game, don't you? [He grins lopsidedly,] then I urge you to lose quickly.
no subject
When he makes it at last, his gaze lift back to Eridanus across from him, cat-slit eyes hooded with mischief. ]
But, on the contrary, you couldn't be more wrong. You and I are simply playing two different games.
no subject
Regardless of the way that toe-claw shivers pleasant sensation through his skin, there is only one thing that can truly focus Eridanus' mindâand that's a challenge. Pride births competitive nature after all, and he is much too used to winning to let the coy cat he plays with best him in such a disgraceful way.
Eridanus' gaze drops to the board, and focus wrinkles his brow. As he contemplates his next move, his tongue drags idly over his upper lip, only to be pinched at the corner of his mouth as he finally chooses the piece to set forward. Once he's made sure of his move, he removes his clawed fingers from the piece and raises his gaze back towards Lucius.]
This is rather nostalgic, actually. I don't have many good memories of my father, but I am at least thankful he introduced me to fethesi.
no subject
Which makes it a clever gambit on Eridanus' part to shift the conversation to such a melancholy subject. Lucius' foot slides from its place beneath the cuff of Eridanus' slacks, its arch coming to rest over the back of Eridanus' foot instead. ]
Trying to distract with less appealing thoughts, Eridanus? [ The cadence to his voice suggests teasing, but but there's a measure of seriousness to it that belies his playful manner. His eyes drop to the board, and again, his eyes are focused on Eridanus' half of the board as he considers the moves he had taken last. ] It's true that it takes a special kind of man to have nothing redeeming about him.
[ And yet, he doesn't change the subject. It's one that is beyond him, more so than fethesi or regicide or chess, he hungers to know all of Eridanus' heart as much as Eridanus yearns for more of his. ]
no subject
Distract? No, I would never use the very same tactic as my Eternal. [He smiles over the lip of his glass towards the hunched figure of Lucius, before taking a slow sip of moonshine. As it burns a path down his throat, the glass is set aside once more and he wiggles his toes beneath Lucius' footâcatching his toe-claws against the skin of the other's heel.
He leans his weight forward, bracing his elbows against his thighs, but his gaze shifts. It casts sideways, like Eridanus is staring off in the distance, suddenly entranced with old memories.]
He wasn't always so awful, not until my arcane ability manifested. [Eridanus folds his hands together,] he taught me fethesi before then, always saying that it's imperative for an aristocrat to be disciplined in all things. Logic, music, swordsmanship. Magic simply became another one of those things.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
cw: SIGHS at the hornee
(no subject)