sempiternals | How could your heart be stolen by a human?

[ Kaveh is quiet for a long time as he pieces the events back together in his head. His memory of that night is already a little hazy, given everything that happened. But what he remembers... ]

You didn't come to bed. You were sitting in the shower. You...

[ There'd been something wrong. He remembers that now. Something in the way the older man had curled around him, wet and all, and invited him to sleep all day.

(But they didn't sleep all day. They slept... for some time, Kaveh still doesn't know for how long exactly. And then—)

The blonde frowns, his gut twisting in displeasure, something ugly grasping cold fingers at his heart and telling him to run away.

(But he's run away twice already, and it did nothing for him.)

Instead, he takes a shaky breath. ]

The next morning, you. We... [ He chews on his lower lip. ] Why then?

Edited 2024-02-19 13:08 (UTC)

I wasn’t going to let him live another day after seeing what he did to you.

And what would have been of you if he decided to slit your throat that same night.

( He thinks Kaveh may still not grasp the true danger he was in- or how dangerous Mael truly was to others, too.

He knows that’s not what he’s asking, and even Wriothesley isn’t sure what pushed him over the edge. Perhaps the lingering adrenaline and desperation to have him before he lost him to another. He’s also quiet for a moment. )

It was then or never. I didn’t want to lose you to another fling.

[ Perhaps he doesn't understand the severity of the danger, even now. The idea of going to bed and never waking up again, throat slit in his sleep, is a horrifying one, though, and certainly helps in the ongoing process of his starting to contextualize the whole series of events. Wriothesley was protecting him, was protecting everyone who lived in the Fortress, from someone dangerous and unhinged. And Kaveh still hates it, hates that it was necessary, that there wasn't some other way. But he understands, too.

That doesn't answer the actual question though, an admission that takes a few beats of silence longer, and as the words slip from the duke's lips, Kaveh once again is quiet, taking his time to process, to let the words settle on his heart.

He pulls back just enough that Wriothesley can see the wet, red-rimmed mess of his eyes, alight as they are now with a quiet sincerity. ]

Stupid. [ He doesn't really mean that. ] You were never going to lose me. I never stopped being yours in the first place.

( The silence is somewhat uncomfortable at first, but hearing Kaveh address him with such an endearing insult does put Wriothesley at ease. A soft smile greets him, relieved of all the tension accumulated in the night. Perhaps he should elaborate more: )

I didn’t want you fucking anyone else.

[ Kaveh's expression sifts from something gentle and earnest to something bordering on amused, the blonde shaking his head slightly as he leans up to poke Wriothesley's cheek. ]

Jealous.

[ That's all he says before he shifts to curl into him again, face nuzzling into Wriothesley's chest, eyes closing against the tired, aching sting left by hours of crying. ]

I'm not gonna. Just so you know. I know I've got some learning to do and some adjustments to make and.. and it's gonna take me some time to be okay with it, and you know, but. But I meant what I said. I'm yours, I want you to be mine.

I won’t confirm or deny.

( It’s borderline embarrassing, and it takes him back to the night he witnessed Kaveh making out with some stranger in a bar. If he didn’t claim him, where else would he have gone? With how many people?

Eyes closed and resting the exhaustion, he keeps a heavy arm around Kaveh’s waist, dozing off with a smile. )

I already told you I’m yours.

[ Fortunately for Kaveh, Wriothesley's refusal to confirm or deny his claim is on its own a confirmation. The blonde, however, says nothing of the sort, instead just curling tighter into the older man's hold. ]

I know we still have some things to figure out but.. I feel.. I'm glad, Wriothesley.

[ He curls in a little closer, head getting more comfortable in its position against the other's chest, a soft yawn on his lips. ]

I only woke up a little while ago, but I'm tired again.

Mmhm.... ( The warmth Kaveh provides is more than enough to knock him out entirely and fast, without any remnant of worry after coming to their conclusion. There is some doubt, there will always be, in entering a relationship for the first time. He's not quite sure where some lines end or begin, or what boundaries they should be setting for one another.

He's not sure if this means he trusts Kaveh entirely, either. There will always be a part of Wriothesley who only knows Wriothesley, like the one who knows everything about his past identity.

He wakes up before Kaveh and slowly sneaks out of bed to use the bathroom, brush up, and put on his boots again. He wants to at least tell Navia some good news: like the fact they didn't fuck using her guest bed. That alone should require some praise. )

[ Like Wriothesley, Kaveh falls asleep fast, into a steady, dreamless sleep; he sleeps easily through as the other man gets up to use the bathroom and speak to Navia, curling into the pillows with a sleepy smile when the other slips out of the bed.

Navia is padding around quietly the kitchenette when Wriothesley emerges, wearing a simple, demure blue nightgown accented with lace here and there. She looks almost like an awakened princess, and yet the cup of tea placed in front of him is something she prepared, and there's a delicious, buttery scent from the oven for which she is also responsible.

She smiles up at Wriothesley, and her expression is steady without being overly dependent on congratulation or comfort. (Although she hopes, as she always does, that things worked out well— especially given that they stayed together in her room, as far as she knows, until morning.) ]

Good morning, monsieur. [ Her tone is the same: warm, kind, gently detached from the situation, lest she need to pivot one way or another. ] How did it go, last night?

( He’s pretty sure he has fucked her wearing that gown, but his thoughts are innocent as ever, ignited by the hunger towards freshly baked goods filling up the kitchenette.

He smiles at the readied tea and happily inhales that scent too. The calm is unlike any other, especially as he sips. )

Your bed is still clean.

It was good, I hope. I think it will be good now.

( There’s never any telling with Kaveh, but what matters is that they belong to one another now. Just as he had wished all those weeks ago. )

Thanks for everything, Navia. I mean it. I don’t think I could have done it without you.

[ She laughs, a bright and warm sound, if still quiet to respect anyone still sleeping in the house. As Wriothesley sips, she moves to the oven to take out two loves of brioche, moving the tray over to the counter to let them cool enough that she might cut them into slices.

To his words of thanks, she leaves her task for just a moment to stand herself on tiptoes, press a kiss to his cheek. ]

I'm just glad things worked out. You deserve some happiness, and you've worked for a long time for this.

[ And perhaps, if he looks closely enough, he'll see he's not the only one who's earned some of that happiness for themselves; Navia has a couple of dark bruises at her collarbone, evidence of what she was up to during the evening, once leaving Wriothesley and Kaveh to their own devices. She doesn't mention it for now, though, wanting to focus on her friend's situation instead.

With the brioche cooling, she cuts a few slices of it, putting it on a plate with a knob of butter and a small serving of jam, and then that on a tray with more tea, and juice. ]

Here. Take him breakfast in bed.

( At some point when she's placing down the fresh brioche on the table, Wriothesley notes the markings on her clavicle, peeking from the softened fabric like something treasured. He can't help but feel a smile on his lips, sipping the tea while she prepares the breakfast. )

He did most of the work.

( He picks up the tray of goods, including both their teas on it and leaves her with a similar kiss to her cheek. It's a parting sort of kiss, knowing their time for casual sex has concluded.

He walks into the room silently, though the items on the tray do make slight rattling noises as he's placing it down on a corner of the bed. The scent alone could probably make the dead lift from the graves, anyway. )

Kaveh, are you awake?

Then it's all the more reason that he deserves breakfast in bed. [ Navia's tone is light, teasing, an affection in her voice reserved for very few; and the smile doesn't leave her face even as he disappears back into the bedroom.

Kaveh, for his part, is starting to stir— yes, mostly due to the scent of baked goods and tea that has just wafted into the room— stretching with a yawn and rolling over as his eyes blink open, a slow, lazy smile of content finding his lips as he looks up at Wriothesley standing next to the bed.

Half-asleep as he is, he reaches out as if to draw the other to him (which wouldn't be wise with the tray now sitting on the bed); in the moments of new wakefulness, at least, his troubles are temporarily forgotten. ]

You know, [ he mumbles, ] this pillow smells like you.

Hey— careful. There’s stuff here that could get spilled. Sit all the way up.

( Then he’ll have the room to lounge with him, lifting the tray over their thighs to share. There’s plenty of time for the two to tangle up back in the Fortress.

Settled comfortably now, he adds two sugar cubes on his tea, then picks up the butter knife to spread the jam over the fresh bread. He gives Kaveh a glance, biting down some amusement in the fact he’s able to pick out his scent that easily. )

Huh. Maybe that’s because it’s my pillow.

Mm...

[ It's more a groan of complaint than anything else, but Kaveh is obedient nonetheless, sitting up so that Wriothesley can move the tray and himself— once he's settled, the blonde yawns and curls (carefully) into his side, more interested in stealing a few more winks of sleep than he is in the food, at least for now.

(Even if it does smell delicious. ]

Your pillow, huh... [ No wonder he found so much comfort in it, even when he didn't know what to do with himself. ] Should I get jealous? Should I ask Miss Navia if I can have it?

( It’s still quite early— that begs the question: Navia must have risen even earlier to begin beating dough and waiting for it to rise. Wriothesley takes a sip of tea, putting down the cup to keep glancing over at Kaveh. He appears much calmer despite everything. Though it’s hard to tell in this light if his eyes are still red. )

You know there’s nothing to worry about. I used to keep it here when I visited for business rather get a hotel. We can take it back, though. No need to ask her.

Mm. I know.

[ There's somewhat less complaint in his voice now, although still a great deal of sleepiness. The truth is that if he genuinely felt threatened by the fact Navia had one of Wriothesley's pillows, he wouldn't have spoken up about it at all and would have stewed in anxious silence instead.

As for the rest of it? He's still waking up; his brain isn't ready to go back to the heavier questions of the day before. For now, knowing that he still has to process and figure it out for himself is more than enough for his mind. ]

I'd like that. [ Another yawn as he settles more comfortably against Wriothesley. ] She's really nice, Wriothesley. I can see why you like her so much. [ And then, sleepily: ] Her girlfriend's nice too.

( Since Kaveh opts for more rest rather than food, Wriothesley is the one to start getting busy, cutting a piece of bread and lifting a bite to his mouth. He rather get a taste of it being as fresh as it is. He savors it after passing it down with tea. A true Fontainian breakfast. )

Hm? Girlfriend?
Huh.

( He smiles thoughtfully, thinking about the markings on her clavicle painting a success story. He’s happy for her, it’s all she deserves. )

She didn’t mention anything to me, I’ll have to grab the gossip later.

This bread is really good. Do I need to feed it to you?

Mm.

[ It's perhaps the third or fourth time in a row that he's answered Wriothesley with something as simple as that sound, content and sleepy; the answer is in the way that he pulls back from the other, eyes half-open as he licks his lips.

The bread does smell delicious, after all; he's just enjoying he laziness of his morning a little too much to sit up or do much else than snuggle into the other man's side.

He probably should try to speak a little more, though; his head turns and he presses a kiss into Wriothesley's side before he tries to sit up more, still leaning into the other as he does. ]

Smells good.

Not a morning person, are you?

( Instead of feeding Kaveh the bread, Wriothesley takes it for himself slowly. He licks some jam off of his finger before picking out a berry.

If Kaveh lifted higher, he could place a kiss on his cheek, but he figures the mental strain has him extra exhausted. In all frankness, he’s still in awe he can consider him his boyfriend. )

Any sweet dreams?

I don't think I had any dreams, no.

[ He chuckles sleepily. Usually he loves mornings— but this was a rough night, even if he slept solidly. A lot of powerful, exhausting emotion surrounding his having fled here in the first place, Wriothesley following, talking it out, the tears— ]

You think I'm bad? [ he mumbles contentedly, shifting a little and pressing his face into the side of the other's neck, enjoying his scent even as he whines in response to the food not being given to him. ] You should see Alhaitham. That man is harder to move than a sumpter beast when he wakes up.

[ There's a pause, and Kaveh pulls back to look up at Wriothesley— and then darts forward to steal whatever bread he's currently holding right out of his hands, teeth scraping accidentally against a fingertip as he does. ]

I have to tell him I'm moving out, [ he continues, but he doesn't sound worried or upset. Just... sleepy, and content. ]

( You should see Alhaitham, sounds so tender in his ears like the name rolls out truly cherished, and of course, it is: he's the first love. Wriothesley falls quiet, something that isn't all too uncommon. Kaveh is right about one thing, yes, Wriothesley should see him. What kind of man would have so much power Kaveh that at any given chance, his name is mentioned. Of course, Kaveh would know how the man sleeps or how he wakes up. Last time he checked, this Alhaitham wasn't interested in sex but it doesn't mean they didn't sleep next to one another. Right?

Rather than flinching as his Kaveh nips his finger, he glances over at him, quiet until he isn't. )

How do you like the bread?

[ It takes him a moment, but Wriothesley's sudden quietness, which not uncharacteristic of him, feels off, and so Kaveh realizes what he's said, what he's done. It's enough to wake him up fully, and he sits up, slightly away from the other man so that he can seek out his gaze, something fond in his expression as he shakes his head. ]

The bread is really good, and you realize you're being ridiculous, right?

[ He lets it sit for just a moment before he explains himself. ]

We're in the bed of a girl you've literally had sex with, eating bread she made for breakfast after spending the night here. And you're feeling jealous of a guy I had feelings for before but never actually did anything with.

( He’s that obvious, huh. Putting it from Kaveh’s perspective, it does sound ridiculous. In his defense, Wriothesley has already assured there is nothing between him and Navia romantically— comparing that to being in love with someone you live with. He sighs. )

I didn’t expect the name drop, that’s all. Why would I want to see the guy you used to love and his sleeping habits?

Let’s drop it. I want to feed you breakfast.

He's still my friend—

[ As much of a friendship as whatever complicated relationship they have can be considered, anyway. But maybe he needs to learn to mention him less. Kaveh's not sure.

But... Wriothesley said they should drop it, and after the mess that was yesterday, he's not in the mood to get into a full discussion about it anyway. So he nods, offering the other a small smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand. ]

Consider it dropped. Feed me; you said you were gonna, and then I had to steal.

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