play with fire

“Did you pack enough sunscreen? If not we need to get some from the city when we go there tomorrow.” Tugging on the other’s hand as he walked towards the large mansion that they had been dropped off at. Their driver was on a holiday so they needed to get a taxi. Because of all the animals that roamed at the Ji household’s estate it wasn’t responsible to let a taxi drive all the way up to the mansion. So they had to walk with their suitcases up the slightly elevated estate.

“It’s not too far,” he said as they started their walk and the trees, green fields and marble fountains came into the view before there was a good look on the huge mansion with white and blue details. The gates closed behind them. “Dad has some stalkers,” Ethirdil added as an explanation walking up and looking around for animals. There were a few large birds- turkey-sized but looking more elegant in the trees. The birds observed them curiously. “They’re pseudo-phoenixes,” Ethir explained “Mom bred them through a lot of generations, since real phoenixes are rare and usually owned by the royal households she wanted to introduce a kind of phoenix to the general public.”

The birds narrowed their eyes at the couple before continuing their chirping. Ethirdil’s whisp was fully visible here and danced around before shooting off. While it usually stayed close to the elf- here it seemed to feel more free.

“HellooooooOOOO” Ethir called out as they were close to the mansion and a few maids came to say hello and took their belongings. Then his mother came outside- she was a beautiful woman but definitely sturdy looking. Shorter than her son and her long silver hair in a ponytail. Ears large and pointy- eyes dark like that of a night elf.

“Sons,” she welcomed them. Wearing clean, white overalls. Somehow she made them look classy as she spread her arms and kissed Ethir on the cheek and then did the same with August. “It is good to see you again Ethir, you haven’t been home enough. I was afraid you were too angry at us because of the…” she gestured at the two of them and then shrugged. She obviously did not think an arranged marriage was a big deal- nor did she worry too much about her son. After all, he always was lucky.

“You will have to join me for lunch. I had the servants prepare the South-backyard for it. I thought it would be nice to look at the crocodiles while we eat, come come,” she led them through the mansion. It was luxurious but everywhere there were pictures of Ethirdil and his sister. Clearly loved and taken care of. “How is Aurae?” Ethir asked as they went into one of the backyards that looked out over a huge pond. Nothing seemed to be living there- until a blue beast stirred slightly.

The supposed ‘Crocodile’.

“Ah well, you know, same as always.” His mother said and there was obvious pain in her voice. A testament to the mental state of his sister. “Now August, what do you like on your toast? I have all kinds of meat, spreads and cheeses but if you want something else let me know and we will have it made, okay? I am so excited you decided to come visit. Honestly, Ethir has spoken about you in the past so it feels like we already know you.”

"I did pack some," he smiled at the other; he remembered Ethirdil's warning while they'd been packing for the trip and complied even if he always had a bit of a tan from all the time he spent outside, contrary to his family who prided in being pale as ghosts. It was one way to show off their status, having lots of land and growing fresh produce, only to not work on the fields because they could afford to have someone else to do it for them. August always preferred to be on the fields himself though.

As they walked, he kept looking around at their surroundings, at any and all they came across in nothing but awe. He knew Ethirdil's family was well off, yes, but this was something else. It was beautiful here, he'd say serene even. "Pseudo-phoenixes? They're so pretty," he had little sparks in his eyes, one arm hooked around a basket of goods.

August had always had a lot of love to give. When Ethirdil's mother came out to greet them, he sparkled in more ways than just his skin from the glitter fluttering off of him. He was ecstatic. He greeted her with a polite bow at first, then hugged her like he meant it, and offered out the basket of fresh produce proudly. "Something from back home. I hand-picked everything!"

"Rice cakes," he made a face of disgust, "why do people eat those! They taste like air and cardboard mixed together!" He practically shivered at just the thought of it. He'd rather talk about the cakes, pushing the edible cardboard topic aside. "When it comes to cakes, you're a man of good taste," he said dramatically, hopping up on his feet when they finished with the bags.

He watched the other's face scrunch up and he couldn't help but laugh as they left the orphanage. He made sure to lock the front door tight behind him. "I LOVE sour candy, I can eat anykinds! None are too sour for me! I ate these hard candy once that were so sour I swear it numbed my tastebuds for days!" He sighed dreamily like he was remembering a past lover.

(time skipping heheh)

He let out an audible woah when they entered the shop and he took his sweet time to just look around in there. August hadn't ever spent that much time among humans and it meant that he'd missed some of the stylistic choices of different eras. He liked this one. He followed the other into a booth and happily scanned the menu of different sweet treats.

The what then would be solved when they got to that point. One way or another he would make sure to save the other- even when it was from himself. It was okay. Ethir had faced bigger problems- greater challenges in his life. He knew what he had to do. He would when it happened. And if not- his powers would help him.

“And that is just how I like it, because I am one too…” A yelp escaped him as he was pushed back into the bed and laughed as he looked up- kissing back and running one hand through the other’s hair, massaging the man’s scalp.

“I look forward to everything with you,” he teased as he hit the air in front of August and then with a more serious tone. “We will figure this out Gus, one way or another, I promise you I will do everything I can to be a good… boyfriend- do you want to be my boyfriend?” He grinned “I know we are already engaged but I never asked you to be my boyfriend as well, you know, aside from the engagement thing.”

How would they do this? Ethirdil wondered as they were both so similar in a lot of things- which was why they were friends. But in some things so different, especially with the family part. His family was so loving, so secure.

"I'd like to be boyfriends," he said all muffled into the other's shirt, rubbing his cheek against it. His heart was racing again and he felt a little dizzy. He'd never been a boyfriend before, more like a lover for the night and then a fiancé. But this meant something. It wasn't just an arrangement anymore. It comforted him about the future but he was also terribly scared.

“Slap you when you start to not make sense anymore, get it.” Ethirdil did not get it at all and wondered how this even started and why the other needed this. There had to be more healthy ways to cope with these kind of thoughts- surely there was something else he could do for Gus? Right now he couldn’t think of something one, two, three but there had to be something for sure???

He let the other move him around as he kept his eyes on August- even if the other did not look at the other all the time. That was fine, Ethirdil liked it when there were eyes on him but he did not need it all the time. He knew he was the centre of Augusts’ attention anyway. “Whatever it takes?” Now that he did not like- the insinuation that he needed to do more than slap the other.

Perhaps a clear explanation would never come, especially if Ethirdil wouldn't explicitly ask, and really, who wanted to ask and know the answer to where this had all started from. Who wanted to hear about abuse of a minor that years later lead him to seek older men to put him in his place and push him around at expensive events where they were representing the family. He was pretty sure some of the deals his family made were because he'd let the head of another house fuck him in the bathroom just moments before- see? He was contributing to his family business in a way. It just didn't help his self-esteem much.

"I don't know what then," he admitted; it was a fear of his that one day he'd just go off the rockers and stay that way. Sometimes he wondered if he was damaged to his core after how he'd been treated all his life, always dancing between thinking it wasn't fair and he deserved all of it and more because he couldn't fall in line like the others.

"Share it is!" he clapped his hands and marched to over to order their food, swiping his black card that somehow still worked even if it was always a fifty-fifty when he paid whether his parents had already cut him off. Maybe they still somehow believed that the engagement to Ethirdil was working out for him.

"Well," he let out a little laugh, "my life's definitely something." He had learned from a young age that people didn't usually like his honesty. August had unfortunately never learned to have a filter, despite his parents and older siblings trying to enforce having one. He found them a table to wait at but had decided they would be taking the food with them, so August could already find them a spot to practice archery at. He had a perfect meadow in mind.

“I mean, it is a talent to be this hot, confident and irresistible” it was a joke of course but he was glad the other could joke a bit too. Maybe he did know himself better than August knew himself- it was something he took pride in. Knowing his own limitations and being aware of what he could do best. Not that he accepted everything he wasn’t good at- the smarts thing was a big one. He remembered being at the teacher’s mercy at the academy. The Professor had tried so hard and he got a little better but he still had the numbers and letters dancing over the papers when he looked at it too long.

August replied to the drugs thing, in the best way. Ethirdil smirked. “Now, don’t threaten me with a good time.” Now in the new context he knew he would have a good time with the other- he imagined it for a second. A needy August- now his actual lover as he wanted to be close and touch. The mental image made the elf let out a deep sigh- steadying himself. Serious, Ethirdil.

“Whatever you want,” Odd. He meant that as he said it. Ew. The request was- odd. “Roughhousing?” he asked in response. Unsure. “Roughhouse, how?” The next question as he looked at the other and then his eyes flickered to his own arms. Built, trained, but not as strong as some people. Still- they would be evenly matched.

“What do I do? How do I know you are at that point?” He thought back, the evening after their announced engagement the other had been rough. Drugs had been involved, he remembered hard kisses and tears. The night was fuzzy to him. He did not recall the details- only the emotions of wanting things to be alright. Of wanting Gus to be alright.

“Do I need to hurt you? --- -   -  ” the silence after hung in the air as the reflective silver eyes stared at August with something akin to fear. “I will, if it helps you!” he added hastily, not wanting August to feel like a weirdo (even if they both were absolute weirdos).

He chewed on his lower lip as the high elf asked his questions, having a hard time verbalising what he needed. "You'll know," he replied to how Ethirdil would know he needed this. "There's just a lot of.. negative self talk and I become spaced out or restless, I guess," while his eyes stayed on the other's shoulder where his fingertips were still dancing, his gaze was somewhere far away.

"When we had that fight while we were planning our wedding.. You kind of snuffed out that need to be smacked by being, well, you. Gentle when I don't deserve it. I'm not used to it- to be honest, I was just egging you on because I expected you'd slap me at some point. Not that I wanted you to, it's just.. learned behavior. But then my mother called and I had to step out, and it brought that need back up. And if I can't deal with it, it feels like a constant low electric current until it grows bigger."

“I haven’t,” he said as an admission and shrugged “Since we planned the wedding, you know at your family home. When I promised you elephants and foxes, I kissed a few boys in the club but I haven’t been with anyone and the past months I haven’t even kissed anyone.” He pressed his lips together and frowned “But I did,” he promised as he shifted a little closer “I did find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. He is funny and hot and he is a bit insecure for my taste but we can work on that.” The elf nudged the other’s chin up so he could look at him. Cheeks red “and he is a lot smarter than me, but not in like, people skills. But that is also okay since I make up for that and I am dumb as a brick otherwise.”

Shifting even closer he sat knee to knee with the other. “Then you better start thinking about it pretty, pretty boy. And I will do that too and we are going to have to talk a lot about these things,” he sighed as he pressed his forehead against August’s. “I want to know everything you want and need and we are going to have to do this together Gus, only then we have a chance of this - us - working. ”Kinda wish I brought some drugs,“ he murmured before pulling the other into another kiss and melting right back into it.

August looked up when his chin was nudged, his eyes just a tad more watery than usual from the anxiety that somehow bubbled in his stomach from their conversation. His furrowed eyebrows let up a little bit when Ethirdil described him, his face brightening up as he nudged the other's chest with his hand and snorted, "Not everyone can be hot and confident like you." August's confidence was situational; it raised its head usually at the worst of times, getting him into trouble. After being told most of his life that he wasn't good enough, it was quite ingrained in him that he was a nuisance. He could fight that thought sometimes, but not when it came to serious moments like these.

He relaxed further when their knees touched, the little nickname making him grin. Was having two pretty boys in one relationship too many? They'd just have to figure that out. His shoulders relaxed and the last of his tenseness melted when he rested his forehead against the other's, taking another deep breath and letting his eyes fall shut for a moment. Somehow Ethirdil knew how to calm him down, reign him back in. He'd done that before and he was doing it right now. August felt lucky to have someone like him by his side. "I want to know everything you want and need too," he agreed, sure that Ethirdil knew himself better by now, having lived through so much while August had barely lived at all yet.

"Some drugs to this beautiful cottage? You'd really want to see me all needy right now?" he laughed, because August would be stupidly needy right now if he was under the influence of anything. Needy for touch, comfort and some deep pressure handling more than anything else. But, kissing Ethirdil was quite satisfying too. His hand moved to the other's jaw, fingers gently gripping at the back of his neck as he pressed in a little closer, still keeping the kiss modest but he needed Ethirdil to feel that he was so wanted right now. That he was grounding August in a way he wasn't used to but desperately needed.

"Ethir..," he said as he pulled back, fighting with himself again. "There is something I do need. I just.. I don't really know how or when to say it," he moved his hand to the other's shoulder, adjusting his shirt collar to have something to focus on while he tried to find the words. "You know how I get in my head sometimes. Sometimes it's just.. really bad. I can't stop the loop that just keeps repeating over and over," he drew little circles on the other's shoulder with his fingertip as if to emphasise. "I've always been like that. The only thing that's ever helped has been to put me in my place. Just.. roughhousing me until I don't have fight in me anymore."

“You tried to sleep with a cop?” Ethir hissed and then laughed, it was loud and he heard a few birds fly away. “I am impressed that you tried that, and it is also kinda gross to sleep with a cop. Not that I wouldn’t, was he hot?” he teased and then his voice became serious again as the other spoke again. “Does it bother you so much that I might’ve slept with someone else?” Ethir asked softly and his heart ached at that. He knew what commitment was on paper but to work on it in real life was an entirely different beast. “I’m sorry it hurt you that much,” he tucked a lock of hair behind the other’s ear and then sighed.

What this means. Oh, he got those instincts to run away now but instead he walked with August inside and nodded. Taking his own shoes off too and walking to the bed with the other and mimicked the other’s position as he watched the other curious.

“Well, we don’t need to worry about proposals, we got our parents to thank for that part.” he joked and then leaned back against the bed as he watched the other. “What do you want this to mean, Gus? We had agreements right, we could do what and whoever we want, but I think it is obvious you’re not comfortable with that.” his eyes were soft but also apprehensive. Ethirdil did not know what he could do.

He took a deep breath as they sat on the bed, tugging the sleeves of his shirt over his hands so he could play with one sleeve with his other hand while staring down, suddenly feeling unsure if talking about this was a good idea after all. It was uncharted territory and August was prone to getting hurt and then becoming reckless. "It's not the sleeping with someone else part, I know you will do that," he shrugged a shoulder, perhaps not careful enough with his words but he'd never been. If he was, maybe the two wouldn't have had half the arguments they already had had. "I just figured that, you know, one day you'd find someone to spend the rest of your life with. There's plenty of people who don't mind their partners are in a fake marriage, I guess."

The kiss was warm and soft- it made him wonder whether he had a heart big enough for all the love he felt and he realised, too late, just how terribly in love he had fallen with his best friend. It had been a marriage against their will and he had been sceptical but now he wondered how he had gotten so blessed (and lucky). A thousand butterflies seemed to be flying around in his chest as he kissed the other and when it was over, it felt like they all fell down into the pit of his stomach. Looking up and looking for an answer to the question he didn’t ask.

“Where else would I be, if not with you?” the elf asked as he pulled August back into another kiss- hands in the other’s hair as he pressed closer and tried to convey just how stupid he was. For once it was not something sexual or lust-filled but something else. He just wanted to be close before pulling away and looking at the other- his silver mirror-like eyes on the other as he smiled, almost shy.

His hands trembled as they settled on the other's sides as he was kissed again, fingers curling into the fabric as he leaned closer. He'd never realised just how incapable of telling what was right he was, unable to make that distinction right now either. He'd never expected to have Ethirdil like this. He'd worked so hard on trying to get used to the idea that he would have a marriage without romance, that one day the high elf would find someone and they would only be each other's on paper.

And yet, they were somehow here. Even after Ethirdil pulled back, his fingers stayed curled on the man's shirt to keep him in place. Seeing the other smile at him brought a wave of relief over him and his shoulders, which he hadn't even realised were tensing, relaxed and he smiled back softly.

"I'm pretty sure I knew when I was drunk at a club and tried to get into a detective's pants," he laughed, though it was short lived. "I was drinking because.. I don't know, I keep thinking about you finding someone else and I've been trying to prepare myself for it. But it just feels terrible."

Ra raised one eyebrow at the names of the games and then looked at both Koichi and August before focusing his attention to the drink he had. Ra wouldn’t share his drink- it having a medicating purpose to it. He did wonder if he should’ve brought a more ‘adult’ adult drink for the poor man. August and Sanori were obviously more in line with each other.

Ra reached over and grabbed the ‘Exploding kittens’ box and read the back as he looked up and waited for the others to set up the first game as he made himself familiar with the third game. “Why, do you fear showing some skin?” He asked Koichi with a subtle smirk. Eyes wandering over the other’s body to make a point.

Sanori snorted as he set up the ‘hues and cues’ game- a large board with little hundreds of rectangles in all the rainbow colours and more. They all got little squares that would fit over 4 of the rectangles on the board. “Okay so,” Sanori said as he pointedly sat in between Ra and Koichi. “The game is about describing colours to the others and we have to put our little rectangle on the colours we think you describe- but you can’t use colours to describe the colour. Just like things that might signify it- like an apple, or Ra’s hair.” he nodded at the man’s silver hair and Ra nodded slowly.

"No," Koichi defended himself on none other than strip poker, raising his eyebrows at the other when he was clearly being checked out. "There's a time and a place for those games."

August rolled his eyes at the response while he helped Sanori set up. "Just because you see my childhood best friend as a helpless child doesn't mean you have to think that way about me or my friends," he only looked at Koichi once he'd finished speaking, flashing him a wide smile. There was mild annoyance in his tone but August was the kind of person to state his opinion once and then forget about the debacle.

Still, it made Koichi pause, mouth hanging open as he thought of something to say but Sanori cut in with the instructions for the game. The tips of his ears reddened a little after getting called out for something he didn't quite notice he was even doing.

"I've practiced since I was a teen, you'll learn too! We'll show your instructor together," he looked absolutely confident of that with a smirk on his face. "You have the advantage now. But first, food," he paused to stare at the menu of the sushi place they'd entered, tilting his head in thought. "I think I'd like to try the vegetarian menu. You know what, my treat. Pick anything you want or we can share," he looked at Baekhyun, eyes practically sparkling. While anyone could win him over by spoiling him, he enjoyed treating the people around him just as much. And really, he had more money than he could ever spend on himself.

He waited for Baekhyun to come to a decision about what he wanted to eat and meanwhile unleashed his ability to yap about nothing and everything after being asked the simplest of questions. "Well-- you see, we're of royal blood, my family and I. Our family has a certain structure, certain things are expected of us, there's a plethora of rules.. I don't know how obvious it is but I'm kind of bad at all that. I'm distracted. And archery is a distraction from my studies and they don't want that." He let out a deep sigh, thinking back on the time his parents had actually seen him with a bow the first time.

and now we move onto the main course ♨

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