#partialtotheperiwinkleblue

For weeks, Tankhun and his brothers have been meeting in secret; carefully weaving elaborate plans to remove Korn from the head of the business and outlining every possibility and consideration in painstaking detail. It would be one thing for them, as Korn’s sons, to be caught plotting treason. It would be another thing entirely for any staff who were found to be involved. 

Tankhun had been at the table the last time a bodyguard traitor had been uncovered. Arm, thankfully, had not been - but he’s heard enough whispers to know that he certainly can’t fault Tankhun for being cautious with him. 

As much as he hates the powerlessness, as much as he wants to help; he trusts Tankhun. He likes that Tankhun wants to keep him safe. Even if Tankhun would never admit the motivation aloud. 

Arm presses a gentle kiss to the top of his head. 

“You’re right, of course, Phi,” he says, and Tankhun wiggles happily against him, at being called Phi. 

It’s been a few weeks since he convinced Arm to drop the ‘Khun-nu’ when they’re alone, but Tankhun still reacts to it every time. 

“Of course I’m right,” Tankhun assures him - but then he suddenly sighs, small and spiritless; unperformative; and sags at Arm’s side. “But it was all very dramatic, today,” he says quietly, “ridiculous, really.” 

Arm hugs him tighter. “I’m sorry.” 

“Oh, it’s all been dealt with now, of course,” he waves a hand in half-hearted dismissal, “but you know how stubborn ai’Kim can get. Ugh!” 

Arm kisses his forehead. “You know, if you’re having trouble with Khun Kim-” he pauses, and Tankhun pulls back slightly to meet his eyes, “then that footage of him in the storeroom with nong Chay could always… find its way into Porsche’s possession.” 

Tankhun gasps loudly in mock affront, swatting at Arm’s chest with his oversized sleeve. 

“Ai’Arm!” he scolds, but he’s smiling, fighting back a laugh, his eyes lighting back up with his usual captivating mischief. 

“I’m terribly sorry for my insubordination, Khun-nu,” Arm says, as straight-faced and formal and faux-sombre as he can manage, and watches how Tankhun’s eyebrows raise at the return to the formal honorific, “that was a highly inappropriate suggestion. How could I possibly make up for such a transgression?” 

Tankhun titters, blushing, and pretends to consider. 

“Well,” he says, drawing out the word in his mouth, “I can perhaps think of one way you could make up for your rudeness-” he twists, throwing a leg over Arm’s lap and straddling his hips, “-and make me feel much better after my terrible, awful day.”

Arm grins up at him. 

“Really?” he ghosts his hands purposefully up Tankhun’s thighs to settle on his hips. “What way is that?” 

Tankhun pouts. “I think it should be quite obvious.” 

He draws closer, pressing their hips together, pointedly demonstrating his awakening desire and instantly discovering Arm’s own. 

Arm bites back a gasp, the sudden friction sending sparks of heat igniting under his skin, and tightens his grip on Tankhun’s hips. Holding his gaze, Arm guides him, gently, to rock down against him. 

Tankhun hisses in pleasure, his mouth falling open into a perfect, pretty ‘O’. 

“I don’t know,” Arm says, even as he rolls Tankhun’s hips down to meet his own again, “I’m going to need you to give me an order, Khun-nu.” 

Tankhun’s eyes are dark and burning. 

Slowly, intentionally, he traces his fingers up Arm’s jaw. 

“Well, nong.” he skates his fingers back, behind the shell of Arm’s ear, and carefully removes his glasses from his face. “You can start by kissing me. That’s an order.” 

All the air seems to have left Arm’s lungs. 

“Yes, Khun-nu,” he breathes, and then, obediently, he does. 

When they first met, fights were interesting because they were stuck with each other below decks on a long voyage and didn't even know each others' languages or customs. Trying to get him to understand her and vice versa was at first infuriating for them both and arguments would be an extreme game of charades. But eventually they came to understand each other without language: expressions, eyes, tone, body language. A sort of romantic way to deal with it.

In the present, Quetzalli has learned the language and Julian has learned a little of hers so fights are much easier to handle. Some fights source from her impulsiveness where she acts without thinking, often putting herself in danger. She also tries to do things she can’t do alone and needs to be reminded that she’s no longer alone, she’s no longer a gladiator, she doesn’t need to prove anything, and that people care about her.  But realizing they do the same thing and experiencing both ends of it makes them try to put more effort in the future with opening up and accepting help. But sometimes they revert back to their initial way of understanding each other when language failed them.

But because they had begun their relationship with a language barrier and they learned to work around it, handling a fight is much simpler and there's no reason to raise one's voice. Understanding each others' expressions and talking is soooo much easier than the extreme charades games they used to have.

17. Their ways of expressing their love. Going to focus on things other than physical affection 'cos they both do that

In her homeland, Quetzalli would display her high status by wearing gold, turqoise, and quetzal feathers. Even in Vesuvia, she would enjoy searching for such materials to add to the weave in her shield and armor. To her people, gifting one's love with colorful, beautiful things like this is a romantic gesture and invites them into a bond. Julian doesn't quite understand all the pretty stones and feathered creations, but appreciates her work and their beauty. But when she takes him to her people at the end of the main story, all these things he wears display his status as high nobility and her intended, and he is treated as such (and he now understands how valuable all this stuff is, not just the material but what each piece represents for her people). These aren't the only things she gives him. While she doesn't understand everything he does, Quetzalli takes a keen interest in his profession and keeps an eye out for any new inventions and methods that might help him. He'll come home to find some strange contraption that he's heard of on the table, new medicinal books from far lands, and a fresh jar of the leeches he’s been wanting. She’ll sigh happily, listen to him and watch him pour over his new stuff, hoping he doesn’t ask how she got all this.

Julian knows that Quetzalli is a proud warrior and so initially believed her refusing to ask for help stemmed from that pride. So he take the time to find out the sort of things she would need help with and be sure they're done before she could even ask. But over time he realized it wasn't a matter of pride, but she had always been the one to help others instead. Her own people looked up to her. She always had to put on a brave face and remain a source of strength at all times, shoving her own problems aside to spend that energy on others. So asking for help felt strange to her, like she wasn't doing enough, that she should be able to do everything or she was a failure. Not being needed is one of her biggest fears so Julian shows his love by easing her out of that mindset, doing as much as he could to help her. He learns what she does, what she likes, the things she wants to do, and finds ways to help. She doesn't know how to handle it because these gestures are simple but mean so much to her, she feels loved, appreciated and eventually gets comfortable with asking for things and letting someone take care of her.

25. Share any headcanons about their relationship.

Julian’s Red Market dealings have gotten so much easier now for some reason. Couldn’t be because of that intimidating warrior beside him, could it?

Quetzalli didn’t mention to Julian that he’s marrying into high nobility if not royalty. She didn’t think to tell him because she thought the jewelry and green feathers she wore gave it away but he only realizes when she takes him home to her people. Congrats Julian, you married this warrior, former gladiator, former apprentice of yours... oh yeah now you’re some kind of prince.

Quetzalli has supplemented Julian’s medicinal knowledge with her own from Nopal and that of her people. She takes him on a trip to her homeland and introduces a whole new world of medicines and practices he could learn. 

Julian is a light sleeper and moves around a lot. But that’s okay because Quetzalli’s a quiet, deep sleeper who won’t move and she doesn’t appear to be breathing either so gotta check and make sure she’s not dead.