#ralore

Ralehaut watched his fiancé for some time. There was just enough light for his eyes to trace over Lore’s boxy snout then follow the harder ridges that ran up around his eyes and eventually into his horns. Lore’s mouth hung open slightly, and his head was resting on his left fist with his elbow pointed at Ralehaut. He could tell from how Lore’s eyelids flickered that he was dreaming, and Ral hoped his love’s dreams were better than his own. He knew that he was doing this to distract himself from the darkness and that feeling still in the back of his mind, but it was easier to ignore that now. Ral had developed a habit of stealing glances at Lore when he wasn’t looking. Even though he knew Lore would probably laugh and act flattered if he caught his smaller boyfriend’s enamored gazing, part of Ral was still embarrassed by it. It was why he couldn’t help himself now from drinking in Lore’s features while this close to him. Part of it was certainly just from how handsome he found Lore, but the thought that kept repeating in his mind was that this was the person who had chosen to love him.

It was only a few years ago that Ralehaut had believed he was devoid of any redeeming qualities. Even before the blood hunters had beat any remaining sympathy out of him, Ralehaut had spent most of his life distrustful, distant, and quick to lash out at any perceived slight. He certainly hadn’t been that way because he enjoyed it, but any time he tried to change it just led to him hurting more than if he hadn’t made the effort. His life’s meaning was to fight, and he had found a place where that was useful. It wasn’t until a red dragonborn had shown him an undeserved generosity and kindness that he realized how big of a piece of himself he was missing. The subsequent years had revealed the true gentleness of Lore’s heart, but they had also done something that Ralehaut never would have expected. He began to understand why Lore loved him, and why he was worthy of being loved. It was a realization that took him a very long time to accept, and even to this day Ralehaut can still hear that voice that says he’s deluding himself and simply ignoring how terrible and broken his soul truly is. When that happens now, he just thinks of Lore and knows that he believes in Lore’s love more than his own self-hatred.

A slight stir from Lore brought Ralehaut back to the present, and he worried for a moment that he had somehow woken him with his thoughts alone. He let out a silent sigh as Lore’s breathing remained unchanged, his eyes still lightly dancing beneath their lids. The distraction suddenly made Ral realize how much he was shaking, this time truly from the cold. He moved for a moment to carefully pull the sheets back over himself, then paused. Without even touching him, he could feel the heat emanating through the air from Lore like he was laying next to a bed of hot coals. The urge to try to share in that warmth was overwhelming, though he was still held back from the thought that he shouldn’t disturb Lore’s rest just because he’s cold. Ralehaut grappled with the conflicting desires long enough that his fingers and the tip of his tail began to go numb. Finally, he gave in. He knew Lore would chastise him for his hesitance if Ral’s shaking woke him anyways.

As carefully as he could, Ralehaut slowly began shifting himself towards the larger dragonborn. He winced with every unintentional noise the bed made, but the draw of Lore’s body heat was enough to keep him from withdrawing. Eventually, Ralehaut was close enough that the only thing separating the two was Lore’s right arm, which was laying over his stomach. This close to him, the difference in size between the two dragonborn was accentuated. Lore had nearly two feet in height over Ral when standing, and his shoulders were wide enough to match the bronze dragonborn’s own a time and a half over. Ralehaut certainly had plenty of muscle, but he would be considered wiry compared to most dragonborn. Lore on the other hand had a proud, brawny frame that could overshadow even a goliath. His chest and arms were stacked with muscles, but a paunchy stomach and broader complexion added to his impression of being a friendly giant rather than intimidating.

Ralehaut lifted Lore’s right arm with great care and slowly draped it over his own side, giving him room to close the distance between them. It took actual willpower for him not to make a noise as he gently pressed himself up against Lore’s soft chest and stomach. Warmth radiated into Ralehaut’s scales and made him forget about the cold immediately. It was like he had just submerged himself in a hot spring. He brought his arms and legs in, trying to get as much of himself closer to Lore as he could. Making sure not to scrape him with his horns, Ral finished by tucking his head against the small, soft scales of Lore’s neck. He finally let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. His success was cut short, though, as he felt Lore quietly clear his throat and move his arm to press against the small of Ralehaut’s back in a way that couldn’t be involuntary. A feeling of guilt squirmed into Ral’s throat.

“Sorry,” he whispered, almost pulling away, but Lore’s arm hugged Ral tightly to his chest.

“What for?” Lore breathed with a small yawn, more as a statement than a question. Ralehaut felt him begin rumbling in his throat, and his chin moved down to more snuggly hold Ralehaut’s head. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Ralehaut still felt bad about waking Lore, but it would be useless trying to apologize further. “Just dreams.” Lore made a sound of acknowledgement, and it was a few moments before he responded.

“You want to talk about them?” His voice was soft and sincere, but Ralehaut shook his head the little that he could.

“Not really.”

“Okay.” Lore adjusted himself and Ralehaut could feel his warm breath running down his neck. Lore’s left hand moved from his own head to Ral’s and cupped against his cheek.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

Ralehaut wasn’t able to fully catch the whimper that escaped his throat. His face flushed, and he pressed it into Lore’s warm palm, willing himself not to start crying. He focused on the smell of embers that still clung to Lore’s hand. The first words he wanted to say nearly came out but Ralehaut held them back.

I don’t deserve you.

No, maybe he didn’t, but that wasn’t the point. He had said things like that so many times, and it always came from the doubts he had of his own worth. Lore never wavered though, each time he would insist Ralehaut was wrong. Maybe then, it was time that Ralehaut started believing him.

“I am too.”

The rumble in Lore’s chest deepened, and Ralehaut smiled.

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Inspired by NikoDavis's Lore art

AO3

“Ralehaut? Ral, it’s me. Can you hear me?” He pulled himself up into the dusty top floor, the flickering light from the lantern sending shadows dancing throughout the drafty place. The room was full of support beams leaning at hard angles, making navigation in a word tricky. Lore didn’t have much use for the space up here, he had hardly brought anything from home—well, his last home—and he hadn’t had the opportunity to accumulate enough unnecessary babbles that would require the space. He held the lantern high, turning and examining every corner thoroughly. When he faced the window leading to the roof, Lore saw him.

Ralehaut was slumped on the step in front of the window, his head leaning against a wall, and his knees pulled up to his chest. The shutters were still bolted shut behind him, though not without the sign of an attempt to get them open. His eyes were open, but unfocused. Ralehaut should have seen him as soon as he entered the attic, but it was only until Lore had sat down a few feet from him and set the lantern down that his pupils, thin and wavering, shifted in his direction. His breaths were slow and shallow as he recognized Lore’s presence but seemed to not be fully comprehending.

“Hey, Ralehaut,” Lore started. He discovered the last few times this had happened that saying his name was probably the best place to begin. “You’re in the attic, it’s pretty late. You got woken up again?” Ralehaut blinked at him, his expression remaining blank, then nodded just barely enough for Lore to see. Lore quietly let out a relieved sigh. Any kind of acknowledgment this early was a good sign. “It’s certainly not the warmest part of the house to be in but regardless I’m glad I found you. You’re safe here, Ral.”

Ralehaut watched him until he finished speaking, then his eyes began to drift away. Lore waited, not wanting to throw too much at him at once. Ralehaut took a slightly deeper breath, then exhaled, “The window’s stuck.” Lore felt a bit of satisfaction at that. He’d made the window’s new bolts himself, he still didn’t like to think about how long it took him to find Ralehaut on the roof the first time he saw this happen a few months ago.

“I’ll take a look at it in the morning,” he lied. Ralehaut didn’t respond, only continued staring into the dark back corner of the attic. Lore glanced that way, but only saw his own shadow cast by the lantern’s light. When he turned back, he saw that Ralehaut’s hand was shaking slightly. By instinct he reached out to take it, getting the largest reaction from Ralehaut yet as he hurriedly pulled away, and pressed his back into the latched window.

“Don’t-” he stammered. Ralehaut’s face was buried under his arms, Lore could tell that he was purposefully avoiding him this time. “Don’t touch me, please.” A swell of guilt buried itself in Lore’s chest, but he forced it to remain quiet. He pulled back a bit to give Ralehaut space.

“I’m sorry, that was my fault.” He kept a steady tone, understanding and also affirming so that Ralehaut wouldn’t believe he’d hurt Lore by pushing him away. “Let me help you breathe a little easier. Remember the steps? Five seconds in...six seconds held...eight seconds out.” He performed each as he said them and repeated. Eventually he started to see Ralehaut relax as his breathing fell in line with his own. It was a slow process, but he could tell that bit by bit Ralehaut was returning to his senses. “That’s right, Ral. When you’re ready, can you focus on this lantern and—”

“How can you be real?” It was the accusation in Ralehaut’s voice that cut Lore off more than anything else. He was held in shocked silence as Ralehaut raised his head just enough from behind his arms to fix a single eye on him. “Why would anyone do everything you have done for...for me, unless you’re just another lie it put in my head.” Lore felt a flare of fire in his chest at the mention of that creature, the one who, years ago, had attacked Ralehaut and his fellow watchmen in the sewers of Waterdeep. It had the ability to enter minds, and had torn into and played with Ralehaut’s memories enough that there were times where he couldn’t tell what was true and what may have been put there by the creature. Even killing the thing hadn’t stopped its torments, and Ralehaut still lived with the scars of what it had done all these years later. Until now, though, Lore had never known that those doubts had gone this far. He swallowed, trying to push away the rage he felt towards that creature so he could focus. 

“I would hope I’ve made it obvious by now, Ral. I love you.”

“Why?” Ralehaut’s voice trembled but still held that accusatory tone. The realization that Ralehaut truly did not know the answer made Lore lose his gentle demeanor immediately.

“There doesn’t need to be a reason for me to love you, Ralehaut. Even then, you’re the person who spends hours in the market just trying to find ingredients for the tea I like. You’re the person who picked up chess—which I know you still hate—because you wanted to make sure I always had someone to play my favorite game with. You’re the one who waits to get up every morning, even though it makes you late, so that I don’t wake up alone anymore.” Lore didn’t hold anything back anymore, he would be damned if Ralehaut wasn’t going to hear how truthfully he said each and every word.

“I’m not going to just let you ignore everything you’ve done for me. Please believe me, Ralehaut, I love you because you deserve to be loved.” He waited for a response, but the bronze remained silent, and only stared into the corner again. Lore sighed. There wasn’t anything else he could argue, and Ralehaut was not in a place right now to be convinced. The light in the lantern flickered again.

“What are five things you notice about this lantern?” Lore asked, his voice quiet again. The attic remained silent. He didn’t expect he’d get an answer, then Ralehaut shifted, not moving from his spot but just enough that the lantern was in his line of sight.

“It’s new,” Ralehaut mumbled into his arm, “but it’s been used a lot. It has a place to fit a hood, but I don’t think you’ve ever put it on. It’s only lighting about a quarter of the attic. It...it made it less cold up here. And…” He pondered it for a moment. “...I don’t know, it’s just a lantern.”

“No, no, those are good,” Lore encouraged. “What about out the window? What can you see through the shutters?”

They continued like this for some time. Lore occasionally pushed for Ralehaut to go into more detail when it seemed like his focus was waning, but it worked to keep him there with him. Just as Lore was beginning to run out of things to describe, he saw that Ralehaut’s eyes had closed, and he heard a light snoring coming from him. Lore set the barely still burning lantern by the steps so it would light the hallway below, then went and carefully picked up the sleeping dragonborn in his arms. Ralehaut nuzzled into Lore as he carried him down back to their room, but stayed asleep.

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Prompts based on cutequeerpositivity's 2018 Pride Prompt List

AO3

It had been a good night. It had been such a good night, dammit. His thoughts kept returning to that moment on the roof. The festival’s fireworks had just started, and he and Lore had found the perfect view. He remembered eventually noticing in the corner of his eye that Lore wasn’t watching the dazzling display in the sky above them, but instead had turned towards him. He remembered Lore moving closer, and then...and then that shingle slipped out from under Ralehaut’s foot and sent him on a one-way trip off the roof and elbow-first into the ground.

He cringed, he would take a thousand broken arms before having to experience again that feeling of the world falling out from under him, pulling him away from what could have been...what? What did he think that was? He hadn’t just been imagining it, had he? He thought about every interaction he’d had with Lore, every appointment to get his glasses made, every happenstance meeting in the market. Every smile, every side glance, every content moment of silence, he couldn’t have been reading it all wrong, could he? Hell, the big guy had asked Ralehaut to the Grand Revel with him, the celebration that was known for being where young loves began. The more he thought about it, though, the more a hollowing realization settled on him.

He and Lore had never talked about, well, them. They’d spent countless hours together since meeting a few months ago, but the subject of being more than friends hadn’t ever been brought up. Sure, Lore had mentioned having boyfriends in the past, but it would be presumptuous to think that meant anything. Maybe he’d been away from people too long, and couldn’t tell the difference between romantic interest and just being friendly. His face flushed from embarrassment right as the physician finished tightening the sling over his shoulder that held his bandaged arm.

The physician, a seemingly middle-aged elf, let out a tired sigh, and wiped his hands on his dirty apron. “You’ll need to give it two months to heal. Don’t move it, drink some milk, yadda yadda.”

“Your bedside manner is superb,” Ralehaut grumbled, gently testing the strength and mobility of the sling. Lore reached out a hand to make him stop fidgeting and flashed a smile at the physician.

“I’ll translate that into ‘thank you, your help was greatly appreciated’.” The physician acted like he hadn’t heard.

“It’s already a busy night, your legs seemed perfectly fine so vacate the room soon.” Without another look, he let the door slam shut behind him, leaving the two alone in the small infirmary.

“Do you think someone forgot to tell him it’s a holiday?” Lore queried, and pulled his chair closer to Ralehaut’s cot. “Something tells me he just wasn’t as cheery as he usually is.”

“Probably just upset he has to work on what would be the perfect night for his serial killing hobby,” Ralehaut remarked grimly. Lore snorted, and raised a scaly eyebrow.

“Good to see you're as morbid as ever. How’s that feeling?” He nodded at Ralehaut’s sling, leaning his elbows on the cot. Ralehaut silently gulped as he felt Lore’s familiar heat radiating off of him.

“Ah, it’s good. About as good as I could hope, probably.” He glanced up and saw Lore squinting at him, unconvinced.

“I wasn’t joking about the temple. They could honestly get that fixed in under a minute.”

“No. Please, I’m not letting you pay your own arm and a leg for healing magic just because I’ve got the balance of a baby hill giant.”

“Mhmm, because I’m definitely so stingy that I would care more about some coins than my date’s wellbeing. You know me so well.”

Ralehaut nearly choked at that. Oh. Maybe he wasn’t as far off as he thought. Lore seemed amused by his wide-eyed surprise and cocked his head at him.

“Wait, you knew this was a date, right?”

“I-uh…” Ralehaut’s mouth was suddenly very dry. “I didn’t want to assume anything, ah...I thought if I said something and that wasn’t the case that you’d be offended and…” He let the thought trail off, immediately embarrassed again. Lore let out a deep laugh, a wonderfully relieving sound to hear.

“Wow, if this was just friends hanging out to you then I can’t wait to see what your version of an actual date is like.” He nudged Ralehaut’s shoulder with his own, getting the bronze dragonborn to laugh at his own awkwardness as well.

“Well,” he grinned, “you can rely on me to disappoint as usual, so you better have a backup plan.” Lore chuckled and shook his head.

“What am I going to do with you?” he mused. After a few quiet moments he suddenly perked up and faced Ralehaut with a quizzical smirk. “Hang on, so what did you think I was doing when we were on the roof?”

Ralehaut’s eyes went wide again, and he became acutely aware of how correct the phrase ‘butterflies in your stomach’ was. “I—ah, what do you mean?”

“I know you saw me, I caught you looking too.” Lore was already leaning closer to him, his natural heat impossible to ignore now. He hesitated, inches away from Ralehaut. His eyes were directly fixed on Ralehaut’s own, blue like the sky. His voice was much quieter, his tone one of complete sincerity. “Do you want me to kiss you?” Ralehaut’s mouth hung open. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, what every cell in his body was screaming at him to say, but the other voices were there too, the voices that he heard every night, the ones that had turned him into the person he was now.

What if it doesn’t work? What if he changes his mind? What if you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment? What if there’s no happy ending here?

What if you hurt him?

He faltered, and Lore saw his hesitation. The red dragonborn began to pull away, resigned but understanding.

“No!” Ralehaut exclaimed, reaching for him, and stumbling to put something to words. “I mean, Yes! I mean—I…I don’t know. I’ve never let myself...have something and it’s scary and different, but…”

What if he made you happy?

“But it’s also exciting, and I know there can be a big risk with these things but there isn’t anyone else I would want to give it a shot with. So…” Nothing else came to him. He looked up as a warm smile covered Lore’s face. The red dragonborn reached up to rub a thumb against his cheek, tracing the ridge under his eye.

“So that’s a yes, then?” he asked, and Ralehaut nodded with a laugh. Lore took Ralehaut’s face in both of his hands and pressed his lips against his. It was soft, gentler than he would have expected but absolutely perfect in that moment. Heat rolled out of Lore’s mouth, making it feel like his face was over a pot of boiling water, but the smell carried the light scent of smoking embers. His lips were warm too, in the way a blanket that had been sitting close to the fire is warm. It was Ralehaut who moved to deepen it, pressing himself forward and he felt something building inside him, like those butterflies had begun moving up his chest, and…

CRACK

Both of them yelped as a spark popped between them, leaving them both in shock for a moment before they fell into a fit of giggling.

“I’m so, so sorry! I didn’t mean—”

“No, ha, I should have known better when I made the decision to kiss a bronze. Play with lightning, and...well.” Lore rubbed his brow against him affectionately, humming slightly.

“I’m gonna say it,” Ralehaut breathed. “Falling off that roof was more than worth it for that.” Lore rumbled contently, and Ralehaut wrapped an arm around the large red dragonborn. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt different. There had been a pit in his chest for so many years. Most days he could ignore it, but in the quiet times when he was alone he could do nothing but feel its emptiness burrowing endlessly into him until he felt he would be swallowed whole by it. Right here, in this moment, he couldn’t feel any pit. Where it usually resided now felt like a slowly simmering hearthfire. He smiled.

Eventually Lore pulled away, though he kept a hand cupping Ralehaut’s face. “Let’s make a deal,” he said, smirking down at him, “that from now on we don’t wait until one of us falls off a roof before we talk about our relationship again. Sound good?”

“I don’t know,” Ralehaut teased, sticking his tongue out. “It would certainly make for a unique tradition.”

“Hmm, might not be in agreement about that one.” Lore pulled him closer again. “But we can work on finding a good alternative. In the meantime…” They kissed again, and they must have lost track of time as neither noticed the sound of the door opening, not until a cranky elven physician was yelling at the both of them to get out. Lore didn’t wait, and just picked up Ralehaut and carried him out of the building. Despite the late hour, the streets were still filled with revelers, all with painted faces and laughing giddily. Ralehaut couldn’t help but smile as Lore looked down at him expectantly.

“Well, where to then?”

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Hey! I'm doing a thing, gonna try to do one of these a day all month (future ones will be much shorter). Always had this little story of these two dorks in the back of my head and glad to finally get it out there!

Doing prompts based on @cutequeerpositivity's 2018 Pride Prompt List

AO3