#raeble

Oribos

Raetos groaned as he found his way back to the waking world. He knew he was alive by how much his body ached. His head, most of all, felt like someone was hammering multiple nails in place. Only one luminous eye opened, the other still swollen shut under bandages wrapped around his head. His abdomen was also strapped tightly. He could feel the pressure of the wrappings limiting his movement, as to not aggravate what he assumed was broken ribs. The wound on his arm had been well cleaned and bandaged. Someone had been talking very good care of him.

He smiled, not having to wonder who, feeling the body curled up against his own. Tilting his head down, he caught a glimpse of the top of Fable’s head… there was no mistaking those lovely indigo locks. 

“How long have I been out?” He asked.

For just a moment, Fable grumbled and curled more tightly against Raetos. If this was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up. The hellscape that had been The Maw was no longer ringing in his ears, and his lover was by his side again. This had to be a dream. It was never this good.

Or was it?

Feburary Prompt - Raetos and Fable

Gemstone: Amethyst

The Amethyst symbolizes courage, clarity, and quick wit.

Flower:  Violet

The violet represents loyalty and faithfulness.

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Raetos ( @raetos  ) and Fable ( @darkestfable ) are rather new as a couple, but that relationship has already been tested. Fable has shown courage in the face of his fears; taking a chance at a loving relationship in what was supposed to be a simple fling. Raetos, on his part, is as loyal and faithful as they come, going as far as facing the Maw to rescue his lover's soul.

Fable Darkvale belongs to Harley! Check out their Patreon here!

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(( Scene co-written with @thefugitivemango​ / @avehi-the-adamant . Fable belongs to @darkestfable . @argonas​ and @codegemini​ for character mention.

Follows the stories: The End and Homecoming ))

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2 Months Ago ~ Tanaris

The Lightforged's tail twitched anxiously as he smoothed a loose strand out of a motionless Fable's face. The void elf was barely clinging to life, his face was pale, his pulse weak; almost non-existent, leaving his extremities cold, although his body still seemed to produce some heat. His breathing was so shallow, one had to lean in and pay close attention to notice it. Raetos had initially thought him dead upon finding him at the dig site. The only clues towards his assailant being a stab wound, footprints left behind by what he suspected was a female elf, and of course, the missing artifact.

He glanced towards the door as he sensed the Ebon Knight’s approach. His cheeks were still wet with tears from crying.

Avehi stepped inside the inn, scowling. She brushed a bit of sand from her tabard, before causing a rune to glow on her hammer-- the air about her grew chilly as she set her gaze upon the one that had called her here.

“This had better be good, Raetos. I despise this place.”

"Avehi! You... you have to bring him back!"

“Bring who b--” Avehi stepped in, eyes affixed to Fable. Her frown deepened, "... What happened?"

“I found him like this... you have to. You can do it, right?!”

Raetos grunted as he reached the top of yet another sand dune. Uldum’s terrain was saturated in sand… something the Lightforged’s hooves weren’t accustomed to. He’d been used to the dusty, Fel blasted landscapes of Argus, but this was quite different. He used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. Thankfully, evening was falling, so the desert heat wasn’t nearly as blistering as it could be. He looked around at the distant terrain, most of which he’d already seen on his previous trek through with Brent and Fable. He wondered what it had looked like before the Old God invasion, or if it had been much the same, just without the obelisks and other strange constructions brought about by the cultists. He pulled his train of thoughts back on track as he looked over at his partner. 

“Everything looks clear,” he stated, “I don’t think they’ll have any issues when it comes time to go. What did we mark on the map that was nearby? Was it remaining cultists? Bugs?”

Fable took stock of the landscape as they crested the dune, pulling the mask he’d donned down from his face. The sand carried by the wind was just enough to be annoying, so he’d given up a bit of comfort to protect his lungs from the particles. Unlike Raetos, the blood hunter moved atop the sand fairly easily, leather boots finding purchase despite the loose surfaces. “Bugs, probably. There ain’t enough cover for cultists in this area, ‘n the sun would eat ‘em alive,” he called over to his partner.

Despite his confidence, Fable was still pulling the map from its clasp at his waist to pinpoint exactly where they were. Everything was starting to look the same. By his calculations and based on the map, there should have been a hive somewhere around here. Desert winds changed the topography of an area so rapidly that the elf wasn’t sure they were even near the hive…

“Eeh, can’t tell if the hive was at the base of this dune or the next. Let’s keep goin’ ‘n just be careful, yeah?” Fable rolled up the map, clipping it back to his belt before starting to descend down the dune.

The Lightforged squinted as he looked down towards the base. It certainly didn’t look like there was anything there, but looks could be deceiving in shifting landscapes like this one. He looked over to Fable, unable to hide the pout at how easily and elegantly the Blood Hunter moved over the sand. He was envious, for certain. He’d had his hooves altered back during early adulthood to add padding that would allow silent  movement. It had served him well on Argus, and on scouting missions for the Alliance. Until now, that is. Despite its advantages, it took away from being able to feel the ground beneath him. A large problem in dealing with this particular terrain. 

He couldn’t complain too much about his partner leading the way, however. The tight pants Fable wore showed off the perfect curvature of his behind, a sight Raetos never grew tired of. He trailed behind, his tail swaying carefully behind him to help keep balance as he less than elegantly made his way down the dune.

--Easier said than done! The Draenei only made it halfway down the dune before his weight proved too much for the sand beneath him. He slipped and fell to his side with a grunt as the sand shifted. The steepness of the hill and gravity did the rest of the work, causing Raetos to slide down into Fable. It was official. Raetos was absolutely NOT a fan of the desert!

“Careful when you’re comin’ down th-” his warning was cut short by a draenei barreling into him.

Raetos’ large body hit the backs of his knees and knocked him facedown in the sand hard enough to knock the wind out of him, causing Fable to get a mouth full of the grainy stuff before his partner had rolled on. Unfortunately for the elf, he was caught in the wake of sand that followed the larger man, barrelling them both down the dune faster than he’d have liked. Not only was sand getting everywhere, but Fable was sure he’d seen the sand at the bottom churning long before anything hit it.

There was nothing left to do but ride the wave until the bottom, and into whatever it was that was hungry. There was no way to prepare for it, either. Instead, Fable tried to slow himself with his hands, squinting through the dust. It had to have been an illusion, but the elf swore he’d seen the ass end of an aqir…

There really wasn’t anything to stop the Draenei’s momentum as he tumbled down the dune and into the funneling sands below. He curled up, tucking his limbs and tail in as to not pull or break anything on his way down. The sand was EVERYWHERE! Keeping him well blinded until he finally hit the bottom of… wherever he was…

He hissed as pain erupted through his side at the landing. That was going to leave a mark for certain! The Lightforged rolled to the side and down the slope so that he wasn’t where it was all piling up anymore. He coughed, shaking his head in an attempt to get most of the gritty substance off. An impossible feat. 

“F-fable?” He managed to cough, finally looking up from where he fell, uncertain if the elf had fallen in behind him or managed to stay on the surface.

The entrance of the hive had been small, just big enough for burrowers to drag prey through. Raetos’ large form, however, had successfully opened up the tunnel to the cavern below. Before the sand had started to pour in, the ground had been sticky with waste from the aqir’s feeding, and slippery. The grit provided a little traction, at least. Deeper in the cavern, tunnels were lit by a sort of bioluminescent sac, the glow orange and ominous. There was a quiet chittering from the darkness, but it could barely be heard under the pouring sand and complaints from the elf that came with it.

Fable’s belly slide had turned into rolling down on his side, graceless and cursing into the hole that Raetos had so carefully broken open. As the elf sat up from the pile of sand, his partner could see the abrasions on his cheek and collarbones. He didn’t seem to pay any mind just yet, as the hunter was trying to cough out whatever had gotten into his mouth and throat. Sand was -everywhere-.

“Maker’s tits that was one hell of a ride…” he groaned, looking around the cavern and squinting. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, and he didn’t like what he was seeing. “Shit, Raetos we’re...fucked.”

“I mean… maybe a little?”

Raetos couldn’t help but grimace at what he guessed was the aqir hive. He managed to get up and make his way over to Fable. The Lightforged let out a pained grunt from the burning in his side; most likely a broken rib or two. Still, concern was evident in his features as his golden gaze looked his lover over for any serious injuries. His hand cupped his partner’s uninjured cheek, eyeing the scrapes and scratches. He cursed himself and his clumsy hoof steps. Had he been more careful in his movements, the two wouldn’t be trapped down here now. 

“Can you walk?” He asked in a hushed tone, “If not, I can carry you, but we need to get out of here. Like… right now.”

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. He was completely disoriented down here, and he couldn’t even tell which way was north.

Fable, though touched by the concern, seemed less worried about the blood and more worried about the fact that they were at least twenty feet below the surface. There was nothing but sand and heat above them, and a hive crawling with opportunistic bugs below them. He looked to Raetos for a moment, assessing his partner’s condition before slowly getting to his feet. Battered and bruised, scraped up, but they were both fairly functional.

“Yeah we just… We ain’t gonna be able to climb out. We gotta find the other end of the hive,” the elf shook sand out of his armor, out of his hair...everywhere, before stepping down from the small mound where they’d landed.

The blood hunter let out a slow breath as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. He could see, no doubt, but he wasn’t sure if Raetos could. Beyond the low orange glow he could see movement; pulsing and glowing fat bodies of what Fable could only assume were aqir, or worse. Even if this were a smaller hive that could mean fifty or more, and the bugs were absolutely built to swarm.

“We gotta go down before we can go up, yeah? Most hives have two ends. One for pushin’ out the waste, one for bringin’ in the food. We found the food hole.”

Raetos was thankful to be wearing his armor, otherwise he would have been a glowing beacon for the insects to hone in on. Unfortunately, as luminous as his golden gaze was, it didn’t help him to see much further than a few feet in front of him. He’d have to rely on Fable to be his eyes. He squinted, seeing forms skittering about, but not much more.

“Well,” he whispered, hand gripping his side, “First thing we need to do is not smell like food. I’m no expert on aqir, but insects usually use pheromones to guide them. My rifle is a big no no down here… do you still have your bow to like… spear some and drag them over? It’s gonna be gross, but I’m thinking if we smell like them, we should be able to move among them.”

The elf just -stared- at Raetos for a moment. This was supposed to be an easy mission with a group, and here they were. Sitting in a hive, about to be covered in bug guts. Fable let out a slow breath and reached back for his bow. Had he tumbled as badly as Raetos the thing might have broken. His fingers found the clasp and brought it forward, grateful that it was in one piece. Wordlessly, the elf retrieved an arrow, knocking it and letting the shaft rest in the arrow rest while Fable looked around the cavern. He’d heard what sounded like a larger aqir trundling up the tunnels, and as he and Raetos fell silent he could see the telltale glow of the bug rounding a corner. Over the soft chittering sounds was the sound of a bowstring being pulled taut, and Fable’s breathing slowing as he focused.

Raetos’ attention was less on the bugs, and more specifically on Fable at this point. There was something about how the Blood Hunter looked when he was concentrated on a task; the way his brows knit and the intensity of his gaze. He’d caught that same look whenever the elf studied his cartography and worked on his maps. Here, in the almost pitch black cavern with almost only the glow of their eyes illuminating his features, and even covered in sand, scratches and bruises, the elf was absolutely entrancing. Reatos couldn’t look away. Fable, of course, was blissfully unaware of Raetos’ moon-eyed look. His whole mindset had switched over to work mode. 

Around the corner came the large bug, its carapace almost glistening in the dim orange glow. An arrow sizzled through the air and found its mark, right behind the head of the creature. It let out a screech and flailed, tiny legs reaching up but unable to grasp the shaft of the arrow. It was moments, but to Fable it felt like forever until the aqir collapsed. “Wait. We need to see if any of ‘em was alerted,” he glanced back at Raetos, waiting.

The Draenei nodded, the creature’s screech had been more than enough to pull Raetos out of his daydream-like state and pull his attention back to the task at hand. He remained perfectly still, even holding his breath as the smaller aqir had scattered about the cavern. They knew something had happened, that something wasn’t right, but didn’t have the senses to tell where the attack had come from.

Thankfully, this deep into the hive, the aqir present were simple workers, not sentinels or attack drones. Sensing the falling insect’s distress signal, they quickly scattered out of the  food alcove and into the tunnel, giving the partners the opening they needed. Raetos let out a relieved sigh.

“Nice shot,” he said, ginning to Fable, “We don’t have much time. They’ll be back with sentinels soon enough.”

He took out his sword as he approached the slain insect, grunting as he brought it down to sever its head from its body, before using it as a vice to split open the carapace with a sickening crunch. That done, he sheathed the weapon and proceeded to use his large hands and a dagger to get to the gland he needed. It was as big as the Draenei’s hand, fat and full of whatever juices it contained. The smell was almost sickening… It was perfect!

“Got it!” he exclaimed, like some big excited kid. Apparently, Raetos had been in enough horribly dangerous situations that he was easily able to move past it and enjoy the adrenaline rush of the moment., “Seems pretty potent, so I’m thinking a little will go a long way. This should be plenty for the both of us.”

The elf put his bow back into its clasp, walking down the pile of sand to meet his lover and the...rather disgusting gland. While Fable had smelled some pretty raunchy things in his life, this was certainly up there. He felt his stomach turn a little, and wondered how Raetos could still retain his boyish charm…

“Maker’s tits that thing is disgusting. Let’s just...ugh. Spread it ‘n let’s go. The sooner we get outta here, the better. Ain’t wantin’ Saedre to worry too bad,” Fable looked down the tunnels as he spoke, trying to get a sense of direction.

Deeper into the hive there were sounds of movement. A soft chittering, buggy feet on the ground and whatever else was down there. It was only adrenaline keeping Fable from feeling the wounds sustained in the fall, and now that he could see his lover better there were telltale bruises forming on his skin as well. Not the way he wanted to start out the first mission…

“Spread it and go,” Raetos couldn’t help but chuckle, “Yeah, I can go for that.”

He shot Fable one more dumb grin before squeezing some of the gland’s slimy contents into his hands. 

“...that ain’t what I mea… Oh fuck this smells so bad,” Fable had started to protest the way Raetos took what he’d said, then the smell reached his nose and he almost gagged.

The Draenei covered his partner in it first, using it as a great excuse to get his hands all over the Blood Hunter. Even with how potent the smell was, he put a bit extra on the elf for good measure. 

This was so degrading, in Fable’s mind. Though he couldn’t lie, having his lover’s hands all over him did make things a lot better. Until the draenei ruffled his hair. With the slime. Now his hair was standing up in random directions, looking as if he’d just rolled out of bed with cum in his hair… 

Squeezing more out of the gland, Raetos covered himself in the stinky substance. 

“That should do it,” he said, tossing the drained organ away over his shoulder, “We’re going to need a few baths to be presentable to the public again, but that’s a positive, right?” He extended his hand out to Fable, nodding towards where the approaching chattering was coming from. “We should be able to walk right by them, now. Just need to figure out which way is out.”

Fable’s pale blue eyes shifted from the tunnels, to Raetos’ hand, to the tunnels again before he took the offer. This way they wouldn’t get lost, and they could pull each other out of danger if it arose. He didn’t want to admit to himself that this kind of affection made his heart flutter, and embarrassed him in the best ways possible. The lap sitting and kissing in public was one thing, but holding his lover’s hand even in such a dangerous area was so… pure… so much so that it almost scared him more than the aqir. Almost.

“Oh yeah, uh… Should be one of ‘em that kinda looks like it goes down, then starts anglin’ back up. Can’t use the smoke trick in here though, ‘cause the aqir might get alarmed,” the hunter did take the lead as he spoke in hushed tones, towing Raetos along behind him.

The chitters and whispers of wings on carapaces hushed as their footsteps passed, like a wave of silence emanating from each step. The tunnel, which had gotten so deep and dark that even Fable had considered turning back, was now starting to come alight with hints of daytime. The air, which had grown heavy and acrid at the deepest parts now smelled of sun-warmed sand losing its heat and the crisp coolness of a desert’s twilight.

Fable wanted to run towards the fresh air, but he was wary of sending vibrations through the tunnel. They had managed to not rock the boat so far, and it wouldn’t do to be so close to freedom and arouse the sentinels. Their pace slowed a bit as a result, but escape was so close he could taste it!

They breached the surface a few moments later, the last portion of the tunnel being a bit of a climb. With Raetos having broken ribs, Fable had climbed out first and braced himself to help his lover out of the hole. The sun had set, the air in Uldum was downright cold now, and they were a good five miles away from the bottom of the dune that had swallowed them whole. The hunter just sat in the sand for a moment, taking a deep breath and looking up at the stars.

Raetos let out a sigh as he laid out in the sand and joined his lover in staring at the sky. The fresh air felt amazing, MUCH better than the humid atmosphere of the cave. He took in a deep breath of fresh air. Even with him and Fable covered in stinky slime, the cool breeze did wonders!

He still kept his hand clasped around Fable’s, enjoying the closeness it brought. His other hand clutched at his side.

He turned his head to look at his partner again, once more admiring his handsome face in the moonlight.

“You’ve got one hell of a sense of direction! No way I would have made it out of there by myself. I’d probably still be stumbling around in the dark. Was lucky to have you in there with me.”

“Yeah I guess. Your idea of the pheromones was brilliant though. Ain’t gonna take away nothin’ from that,” Fable said to the sky, then looked over at Raetos.

He was startled to see the draenei looking at him, and it was apparent with how his cheeks colored enough to be seen in the starlight. Fable cleared his throat and gave his lover’s hand a squeeze. It was late, it was cold, they stank. And most of all, he’d noticed Raetos’ energy flagging as they reached the last leg of their journey. The poor guy had fallen hard, and he wasn’t sure the armor had absorbed enough of the impact.

“Hey, babe, we gotta get you to the medic. I think you hit pretty hard.”

“Eh… just a couple broken ribs, I think. Nothing lethal.”

Raetos flashed his partner a grin, bringing his other hand up to stroke the blood Hunter’s cheek. He was tired, and didn’t feel like moving at all. Still, he knew better than to fall asleep in the middle of a desert without proper shelter, even at night. And as much as he enjoyed staring at Fable’s lovely face, he was especially looking forward to taking a nice hot bath with him after a quick visit to the mender.

“Alright,” he grunted as he sat up, and winced. Not only were his ribs hurting, but his muscles ached now as well from that brief period of rest. 

No doubt they’d both be sore the next day. Still, he leaned in and briefly pressed his lips to his lover’s.

((Scenes co-written with @thefugitivemango / @avehi-the-adamant and @darkestfable​ ))

~*~*~

“... Light, you're in love with him, aren't you? Look! Your heart is beating increasingly fast and hard just from -thinking- about him.”

Avehi’s words rendered Raetos silent midway through his ramble about how amazing Fable was. He blinked at the Ebon Knight, seeming shocked at her words.

“I...I uh…” his cheeks flushed.

“What, had you not pieced that together? I can tell. Your heart doesn't lie. And that's not metaphorical, I mean really-- your heartbeat and its frequency are consistent with that strong emotional feeling.” 

"I've never been... didn't realize it."

“Mm... Something else to be up front about, yes? I'll let you sort all that out before I agree to meet him.” She brought a hand up to Lightforged's chest, seeming to focus on it for a moment. 

"Trust this, Raetos." 

The Draenei sat on the dock, a hand over his chest as he contemplated Avehi’s words. He’d been in a half daze ever since his interaction with the Death Knight. He hadn’t realized how fast things had been happening since that first night with the Blood Mage. In the blink of an eye they’d moved in together, and Raetos hadn’t thought twice about it. 

It had just felt natural...

“Gimme all your gold," a whisper came from right behind him...

He was pulled from his thoughts, instantly recognizing his lover’s voice. He tilted his head up and back, flashing Fable a fanged grin, "No gold on me. Guess you'll have to collect payment in some other fashion."

The Ren’dorei chuckled, leaning over to kiss Raetos' crest. 

"Sounds good to me. You're lookin' all thoughtful, what's eatin' you?"

"Just... something happened the other day and I want to talk to you about it."

Raetos reached over to take his hand, encouraging him to come around and sit next to him. He turned to face the elf. Fable took a seat, not pulling his hand away from Raetos'. He was getting better at this PDA thing! 

"...Raetos?"

“Do you remember that Death Knight I talked to you about? The bitchy one?”

“...I was gonna say the bitey one, but go on. Yeah.”

"Yeah, that too!” The Draenei chuckled, “Anyway! I met up with her in Stormwind. Helped her out with an issue she was having with a Vindicator gone rogue, shortly before I joined the Violet Bastion. She was... in a pretty good mood. Wanted to 'reward' me for helping."

Fable nodded, his expression neutral as he listened quietly.

“So... she starts kissing me and... I realized that you and I hadn't talked about... boundaries.”

The elf's hand in Raetos' tightened a little, the expression on his face remaining unreadable. Something like that hadn't even crossed his mind. "Aah. I uh...ain't even considered other partners since you, yeah? Is that somethin' you want?" He was careful to keep his tone even.

Fable never really cared for it before, mostly because he didn’t care much for the concept of love. Now that he’s matured a bit, he might enjoy it? But he also thinks that people shouldn’t need a specific day to show how much they care about someone else. To him, every day he wakes up next to @raetos is Valentine’s Day.

Fable is no stranger to them, actually! Even recently, before he and @raetos became officially official. They’re not to the point in their relationship where they’ve discussed it being a possibility again, but given how adventurous they both are? I wouldn’t put it past them.