tidebreak[er]

the  whisper  was  a  brand  against  his  skin,  a  soft  question  of  belonging,  and  darius's  answer  was  a  hum  that  vibrated  through  them  both,  a  sound  of  pure,  unadulterated  agreement.  the  caress  on  his  cheek  was  a  benediction,  and  he  leaned  into  it  for  a  fleeting  second,  a  silent  admission  before  his  focus  returned  to  the  task  at  hand.  he  buried  his  face  deeper,  taking  all  of  him,  the  act  a  desperate  prayer  for  a  moment  of  peace  from  the  relentless  noise  of  his  own  thoughts.  here,  there  was  only  scent  and  heat  and  the  solid  reality  of  thallan  filling  his  senses.

he  let  thallan's  hips  guide  the  rhythm  now,  a  subtle  surrender  of  the  control  he  had  so  carefully  initiated.  it  was  easier  this  way.  to  be  moved,  to  be  used.  the  prince  who  spent  his  days  weighing  treaties  and  commands  found  a  strange  peace  in  having  the  decision  taken  from  his  hands.  his  fingers,  which  had  been  pressing  with  quiet  claim,  now  curled  more  loosely,  accepting  the  steady  thrust  that  tested  the  limits  of  his  composure.  a  faint,  almost  imperceptible  tremor  ran  through  him,  a  current  of  pleasure  that  was  both  a  gift  and  a  test.

then  came  the  command,  soft  as  silk  and  unyielding  as  steel.  the  words  unraveled  something  deep  within  him.  the  constant,  thrumming  tension  of  duty,  of  expectation,  finally  went  slack.  his  shoulders,  which  he  hadn't  realized  were  braced,  relaxed.  a  soft,  shuddering  breath  escaped  him,  muffled  by  flesh.  this  was  the  release  he  craved,  the  surrender  he  couldn't  find  anywhere  else.  his  mind,  unmoored  from  its  usual  anchors,  drifted.  would  this  be  all?  this  hurried  devotion  on  the  deck,  stolen  between  duties?  or  would  thallan's  hands  soon  be  gripping  his  hips,  pulling  him  up,  bending  him  over  the  railing?  the  thought  sent  a  jolt  of  pure  need  through  him, throat tightening on instinct,  a  hunger  that  went  far  beyond  this  single  act.  he  wanted  more.  he  always  wanted  more.

the  question  that  followed,  laced  with  knowing  amusement,  pulled  him  back  from  the  brink  of  his  own  longing.  the  reminder  of  every  other  time,  every  other  secret  visit.  it  was  a  reminder  of  his  own  weakness,  of  the  pattern  of  his  return.  he  should  not  be  here.  a  crown  prince  did  not  seek  out  a  pirate,  did  not  kneel  on  the  worn  wood  of  a  foreign  ship  for  the  taste  of  another  man.  and  yet,  he  did.  again  and  again.

he  pulled  back  slowly,  an  act  of  will  that  left  thallan's  skin  glistening  in  the  sea  air.  his  lips  were  swollen,  his  chest  rising  and  falling  in  a  rhythm  that  was  no  longer  entirely  his  own.  he  did  not  speak  at  first,  simply  breathed,  his  gaze  still  locked  with  thallan's.  "it  tastes,"  he  began,  his  voice  a  low,  rough  thing,  stripped  of  its  courtly  polish,  "like  coming  home."

and  then,  as  if  to  prove  the  point,  he  leaned  back  in,  not  to  take  thallan  fully  again,  but  to  press  his  lips  and  tongue  against  the  base,  in  a  slow,  open-mouthed  kiss  that  was  more  worship  than  want.  his  hands  slid  from  thallan's  thighs  to  his  hips,  fingers  splaying  across  the  newly  exposed  skin,  holding  on  not  just  for  balance,  but  as  if  to  anchor  himself  to  this  truth.  the  prince  was  gone.  here  was  only  a  man  on  his  knees,  finding  his  meaning  not  in  a  kingdom,  but  in  the  salt  and  heat  of  the  one  who  commanded  his  surrender.

his cock was heavy as it hit darius' face, leaving wet strands of spit and precum against his skin as thallan brandished it around. "this cock is all you should think about." it would not surprise him to know it was a big part of his thoughts already, and in these moments it should be everything.

he did not rush him, but he did point him to the balls. heavy, hanging low and full--though darius might remember emptying them not too long ago. "this is where you belong, my little dragon."

feeding him his balls thallan allowed himself a moan, deep, relieved. a hungry little prince he was, and he'd take advantage of it as much as he could. let it drag on, more time drifting at sea if nothing else. though he should hope no one else learned how intimate darius was becoming to being on his knees on that ship for him.

the idea of showing all the nature of their relationship was enticing but the consequences might not be.

he guided him lower, almost straddling darius' face as he made him lick and savor his taint as well. wondering how far he'd let him go before he begged for more? less?

the shift was immediate.

darius stilled where he stood, though not in resistance — something quieter, more deliberate settling into place beneath his skin. thallan’s words, the way he spoke them, the ease with which he unraveled any pretense… it left little room for denial.

not that darius truly wanted it.

his gaze dropped, just briefly, catching the movement of thallan’s hands before returning to his face. there was no shock there, no offense — only that same measured composure, now threaded with something softer. something warmer. “you presume a great deal,” he said, though the protest lacked any real sharpness. if anything, it sounded… indulgent. the wind tugged at him again, pressing fine fabric against his frame, but he made no move to step back. no move to leave.

instead, he closed the distance by a fraction — subtle enough to be missed by anyone not watching closely, but unmistakable to the man before him. “and yet,” darius continued more quietly “you are rarely wrong.” his fingers brushed the railing at his side, then stilled, as though reconsidering where they ought to rest. for a fleeting moment, it almost looked like he might reach out, before he thought better of it. 

his gaze did not waver this time.

it held, even as the meaning of thallan’s actions settled fully into place, eyes drifting south, lingering for a long moment and he felt something give inside him. there was no confusion in him, no hesitation born of uncertainty. only that quiet, deliberate stillness he wore when he had already made a choice and saw no reason to announce it aloud.

slowly, almost thoughtfully, he stepped forward.

the distance between them vanished in the span of a breath, close enough now that the wind no longer felt like something separate, but something shared, threading between them, tugging at fabric, carrying the salt of the sea across his skin.

darius’ chin lifted slightly, not in defiance, but in something far more composed. proud, almost. his eyes remained on thallan’s, even as he lowered himself with measured grace. there was nothing hurried in it. no clumsiness, no reluctance — only control, even in yielding. the careful descent of a prince who had never once been taught to kneel… and yet did so now as though it were something chosen, not taken.

his breath caught at the sight.

soft, quiet, but unmistakable in the space between them. the kind of slip that would have gone unnoticed in any court, buried beneath silk and distance and careful poise… but here, with the wind and the sea and thallan standing over him, there was nothing to soften it. darius stilled at once, as though aware of it the second it happened.

his expression did not falter — still composed, still measured, but something in his gaze betrayed him now. a flicker of heat, quickly reined in, though not quickly enough to be missed. his fingers tightened slightly where they rested, just for a moment. despite thallan's very obvious invitation, darius pressed lips to the elf's clothed hip, breathing in deep and biting his lip, moaning softly into the fabric of his trousers. “i'd rather show you.” he breathed.

the words were a whisper against the rough fabric, a promise more intimate than any declaration in a throne room. darius's hands moved with the same unhurried grace, not fumbling with the ties but undoing them with a precision that spoke of careful study. he did not rush the reveal. when the fabric finally parted, it was not with a desperate tug, but a slow, deliberate parting, as if unwrapping something precious.

he did not immediately take what was so freely offered. instead, his gaze remained locked on thallan's, a silent communication passing between them as he leaned in. his lips brushed against the newly exposed skin of the other man's hip, a kiss that was both reverent and possessive. it was the press of a prince's seal, claiming this moment, this act, as his own. 

only then did he lower his head further. his tongue darted out, a slow, deliberate stripe along the length of him, a taste taken not of hunger, but of devotion. it was an exploration, a mapping of territory he was determined to know by heart. when he finally took thallan into his mouth, it was with a deep, practiced focus. his movements were fluid and measured, a rhythm set by his own choosing, even as his knees rested on the worn wood of the deck.

his hands, which had been resting lightly, now found their purchase, fingers pressing into the firm muscle of thallan's thighs. it wasn't a grip of desperation, but of anchoring. a quiet claim. every soft hum that vibrated in his throat was a testament not to his need, but to his pleasure in giving it.

it was sweet how composed he tried to look, how in control, even as he gave it away. what a dignified prince, lowering himself onto his knees to suck at the cock of a dirty sailor, a pirate.

he enjoyed ignoring his own station, the finery draped over him in those moments. it was sweeter to think himself the pirate, the seaman who made the dragon prince kneel. or rather let him, there was no force there, darius wanted to be on his knees for thallan like thallan wanted to be at sea.

the thought almost made him rush through it, cut through the poise and shove his cock into that wanting mouth--but he held back. saw the way his breath hitched, saw the hunger in his eyes.

that was the effect he had, the effect his cock had. he watched it and smirked, felt him close, felt his scent and his warmth as he closed in and inhaled. the salt and sweat, the water, the musk of a man who spent his day in the sun.

a caress of his hair as he moaned through it, surrendering to his true self as he set on worship. not rushing as he undid his laces, as he pulled free his treat and denied himself to kiss and nuzzle, to claim.

he hummed, almost wishing for a pipe but it would do to watch, to know all could easily tell what was happening. the sweet prince, taking what was his. was it cruel to think this is what he was born for as he finally opened his mouth to curl his tongue around a fat cock that was warm and wet for him? thickening with more blood as he sucked, took him into his mouth with ease and practice but no hush.

it was slow, careful worship, it was servitude. something foreign to prince, but well known to this one.

"right at home, aren't you?" he whispered, caressing his cheek as he suckled and licked, as he buried his face in thallan's crotch and took all off him. hands holding onto him, steadying both of them, relishing in the pleasure he was giving and receiving on the mere act of worshipping thallan's cock.

the half-elf lowered his pants under his ass, giving him more skin to grip and hold onto, to worship. hips shoving himself further into his mouth, feeling his throat close around with a sigh.

"that's it, no need to think now prince. just do what feels right, just give yourself to me..." he might keep him this time, he might demand more. "how does it taste? as good as you remember?" he leaned back, a pleased grin on his face, a relaxed stance as he leaned back to watch him work. to let his devotion run free.

Corvus had never let too many people in his life, maybe it was the fear of losing them like he had lost his wife. It wasn't that he didn't want people in his life, he was just scared they would leave. He was happy that he had let Thallan into his life, the man had been most welcomed and Corvus had no intention of letting him go. He took a long sip of his own drink before putting it down on the table with a soft smile to the man. “Well, I hope that these treaties take a little while to get signed then, “said Corvus towards his friend, “I quite like it when you stay around longer.”

Corvus had never been one to hide his feelings, he had always been blunt with them and people either liked it or not. He settled in the seat more, eyes never leaving the other's as he gave a little shrug before a smirk appeared on his handsome features. “Well, it has been a while since we have last touched each other and I think my hands have missed those curves of your body,” said Corvus licking his lips slowly, “So I think when we get back to that ship, I want to worship every inch of your body with my hands and tongue first. I think I need to memorize you again.”

He reached forward to grab his goblet again, putting it to his lips and taking another swig. “I think that people would say that I am a very good knight for taking care of my lover in the way I plan on taking care of you.” said Corvus raising his brow with a smile.

Blunt was a word that fit the large man well, and he almost choked on his drink. Not for them, but for the setting, he would say the very same in his ship but that was his ship...

He liked it though, liked the way he had no care for being overheard. No worry about letting Thallan know what he'd be doing later. Maybe sooner than he thought.

"Such sweet words for a dirty mind," He responded, finishing his drink at once, "my body is yours to lick and worship. To feel and taste as you may like, but you know I'll demand all of you in return." His breeches tightened just imagining it, just picturing what they would do.

"Serve me like your king, prove how good a knight you are, but know you will not leave until I've taken every inch, and savored every drop of you... until my men and likely your city knows why you miss me so badly when I'm away, my friend."

if the sea didn't call so strongly for him. "you know i find that term offensive." he was hardly a man of land, even if he was not quite born for the sea, at least not to be under it.

"of that i had no doubt," he mused with a smile, drawing closer to the man, a shake of his head and a snort. truthfully he would not be able to say he has aged as well as his lover--but as a half-elf he had hardly aged as much as the other might enjoy pretending.

"oh i know, haggard, dirty, you have a particular type." he pulled the merman by the waist, breathing in his scent as he leaned ever closer, "and here you are, looking for the one who fits just right in it hm? all those pretty boys at court not up to the task are they?"

Corvus didn’t have too many friends in life, especially ones from other kingdoms but luckily for himself he had some. When he had heard that Thallan would be at the port, he made sure that everything he had planned that day was done in the morning or canceled all together. Nothing would keep him from seeing a friend and he knew that would be respected. When he walked into the tavern, he was met with the familiar face almost instantly, causing a bright smile to appear on the man’s face as he moved to the table with a little speed in his step. He put his hand behind the other man’s neck and tapped their foreheads together as the other man spoke.

“You know they keep me busy, though I can’t complain, I do love being a knight and master of war, but nothing would keep me from meeting you today, Thallan,” said Corvus as he sat down across from the man, raising his and up to the bartender as he slouched slightly in the chair so he was more at the level of the other, which was something that started to come easy for the half-giant, “how long are you here for?”

When the bartender brought over the mead, he leaned the glass forward to hit their glasses together before taking a long sip of the mead. “I already told my boy that I would either be bringing a friend home or spending the night on the ship.” said Corvus with a raised brow and smirk towards the pirate.

"Have you now?"He retorted with a raised brow of his own and a smirk on his lips. "And pray tell, what are you hoping to do once we settle in at your home, or at my cabin above such sweet waters?"

More likely than not, he'd be taking Corvus to the ship. Land was fine with the proper incentive, but nothing beat the sound of the waves, the salt air of the sea, the wooden decks of a trusted ship. And there might be a thing or two he could show his good friend all over his ship with most the crew out and about.

darius  allowed  himself  to  be  guided  without  protest,  though  the  faint  arch  of  his  brow  suggested  the  liberty  had  not  gone  entirely  unnoticed.  few  men  would  dare  lay  a  hand  on  a  prince  so  casually,  fewer  still  while  a  dragon  wheeled  overhead,  yet  thallan  did  it  with  the  same  unthinking  ease  he  seemed  to  bring  to  every  deck  he  walked.

high  above  them,  seraphina  continued  her  slow  circle,  vast  wings  cutting  through  the  sky  with  patient  grace.  she  was  far  too  large  to  land  on  a  vessel  like  this  —  the  ship  would  not  survive  the  attempt  —  and  so  she  watched  instead,  a  silent  shadow  against  the  sun  while  her  rider  wandered  where  he  pleased.

the  wind  was  stronger  at  the  prow.  it  pulled  at  darius’  clothes  and  stirred  loose  strands  of  dark  hair  across  his  face  as  he  rested  his  hands  lightly  along  the  railing.  the  sea  stretched  endlessly  before  them,  restless  and  glittering,  so  different  from  the  quiet  certainty  of  the  skies  he  usually  claimed.  “how  have  the  seas  been  treating  you?”  he  asked  after  a  moment,  glancing  toward  thallan  again.  “kind,  i  hope.”

thallan’s  words  drew  a  quiet  laugh  from  him.

“am  i?”  he  asked,  turning  his  head  slightly  toward  the  captain,  the  curve  of  a  smile  lingering  at  the  corner  of  his  mouth.  “i  was  under  the  impression  i  was  merely  passing  by.”  unfortunately,  darius  couldn't  withstand  temptation  once  he  recognized  the  ship  as  thallan's.

his  gaze  drifted  briefly  upward  toward  the  dragon  circling  lazily  above.  “seraphina  has  better  manners  than  most  courtiers,”  he  added  lightly.  “your  men  will  recover.” 

the  mention  of  princely  duties  made  that  small  smile  deepen,  though  something  more  thoughtful  flickered  behind  it.  “you  worry  for  my  responsibilities  now?”  darius  asked.  “i’m  touched.”  his  eyes  settled  on  thallan  again  then  —  steadier  this  time,  studying  the  weathered  confidence  in  the  man’s  stance,  the  easy  command  he  carried  over  both  sea  and  crew.  there  was  something  about  it  darius  had  always  found  difficult  to  ignore.  perhaps  it  was  the  freedom  in  it…  or  perhaps  simply  the  defiance.

“and  no,”  he  said  after  a  moment,  voice  quieter  now.  “i’m  not  here  for  duty.”  far  from  it.  a  brief  pause  followed,  the  wind  filling  it  easily. 

“must  there  always  be  a  reason  for  me  to  visit  you,  captain?”  they  both  knew  the  answer  to  that  question,  one  that  didn't  need  to  be  spoken  aloud. 

he squints, the innocent act has never once worked with him. not for one who ought to be dealing with the weight of ruling, even if not yet king. their paths intersected too often for him not to realize what this was. he might not be as old as some of his elf peers but he was old enough, had lived enough… more than enough, if he considered his human side. yet he shrugged it off, let him play coy, and it did not matter if his men got a little scared of a dragon. he had no time for cowards in his ship and with how often the prince came around they better get used to it anyway.

"in a way. royals tend to make things harder for people when they don't do their jobs," he retorted, "should i not worry for your people if i'm depriving them of your service?"

"I'm guessing you'd rather be of service to me though…" his smirk was wide, his posture downright insubordinate. he needed no confirmation but he was glad to hear it anyway, he would loathe to deal with business but personal visits were more than okay, especially when they meant he was getting a sweet time out of it.

the sea did get lonely at times.

"aye, thought as much," he nodded to him, hands moving to untie the laces of his pants, "we both know there is a reason, little prince."

there were few things like freeing his cock in the prowl of the ship. taking it out for a hungry royal who'd surely get on their knees and suck it right there like the good boy they were? well… not bad for a filthy had been pirate like himself.

@tidebreakerthallan

the  open  sky  had  always  been  the  easiest  road  for  darius.

while  other  royals  spoke  of  travel  with  the  weary  resignation  of  long  roads,  crowded  caravans  and  endless  formalities  at  border  gates,  darius  simply  rose  above  it  all.  one  command,  one  beat  of  vast  wings  and  the  world  unfolded  beneath  him  like  a  map  painted  in  living  color.  mountains  softened  into  ridges  of  blue.  rivers  curled  like  silver  ribbons.  kingdoms  that  took  weeks  to  cross  by  horse  passed  beneath  him  in  the  span  of  a  morning.

it  was  freedom  in  a  way  few  princes  ever  truly  knew.

today  the  sea  stretched  wide  and  endless  below,  a  great  shifting  mirror  of  deep  cobalt  and  pale  light,  its  surface  broken  only  by  the  slow,  deliberate  path  of  a  single  ship  cutting  across  the  waves.  darius  had  noticed  it  long  before  he  descended  —  a  dark  shape  against  the  glittering  water  —  and  a  small,  familiar  smile  had  curved  at  the  corner  of  his  mouth  the  moment  he  realized  whose  ship  it  was.

thallan.

it  had  become  something  of  an  unspoken  tradition  over  the  past  months,  almost  a  ritual  born  from  chance  and  repetition.  whenever  darius  happened  to  be  passing  over  umorian  waters  and  spotted  that  unmistakable  vessel  below,  he  would  drift  down  from  the  sky  like  a  curious  hawk,  seraphina’s  great  wings  falling  into  an  easy  glide  beside  the  mast.  sometimes  he  only  flew  alongside  for  a  while,  exchanging  a  wave  or  a  shout  over  the  wind  before  continuing  on  his  way.  sometimes,  when  time  allowed  and  the  mood  struck  him  just  right,  he  would  circle  once…  twice…  before  bringing  seraphina  down  enough  to  hop  on  board.

he  told  himself  it  was  simply  pleasant  company.

though  if  he  were  being  entirely  honest  with  himself, and  darius  rarely  was  in  matters  like  this, there  was  something  about  thallan  that  lingered  in  his  thoughts  longer  than  most  men  he  met  on  his  travels.  perhaps  it  was  the  way  the  man  carried  himself,  all  salt  and  sun  and  stubborn  independence,  as  though  the  sea  itself  had  carved  him  into  shape.  perhaps  it  was  the  fact  that  thallan  never  treated  him  quite  like  a  prince,  never  bowed  too  deeply  or  chose  his  words  with  the  careful  caution  nobles  often  did.

or  perhaps  it  was  simply  that  darius,  for  all  the  gilded  halls  and  duties  that  filled  his  life,  found  the  wild  horizon  in  thallan’s  eyes  strangely  difficult  to  ignore.

high  above  the  mast,  seraphina  angled  her  wings,  the  great  dragon  gliding  lower  now  until  the  wind  carried  the  sound  of  rigging  and  snapping  sails  up  to  meet  them.  his  smile  deepened  just  a  touch  at  the  thought.   it  seemed  today  would  be  one  of  the  days  he  stopped. he landed on deck with a soft thud, “i  wondered  if  i  might  find  you  again  today,”  darius  said  as  he  approached,  the  sea  wind  tugging  gently  at  the  long  scarves  at  his  shoulders.  his  gaze  lingered  on  thallan  a  moment  longer  than  it  strictly  needed  to.

“you  seem  determined  to  haunt  every  stretch  of  ocean  i  happen  to  cross."

it was like submerging after being down in the deep, the half-elf had been born in a ship, and were it possible he might never step away from one.

the men went about their business, leaving him to watch the path ahead, clear skies--it had been a while since he'd been caught in a storm. his service to the king demanded a measure of care he was not used to, and neither did he hold onto with any love. tidebreaks were meant for storm.

he heard the flap of wings first, the murmur of the men second. it brought a frown to his face and a hint of a smirk to his lips. like moth to a flame. or a ship to a dragon, it seemed, when said dragon had darius atop of it. "settle down, this beast you won't face today." he shouted at the men before it was on top of them, an impressive sight, and by now a familiar one to him and some but not enough of the crew.

"i do not haunt, your highness," he grunted in reply, walking towards the prince with sure steps not cowered by his station, title nor dragon. "you are the one spooking my men." he offered a bow as demanded and expected but it held none of the deep curtsey of the court. it was a quick formality, best gotten out of the way lest his men risk a less welcoming noble's ire.

"one would you think you sit on your dragon and follow me around, hoping for some of my time," his smile was unguarded, gentle, but his eyes bore down onto the kings like the depths of the ocean. "i am sure you long for freedom such as i do, but i hope i am not taking you away from your princely duties." if there was a bite there, it was well hidden. a rough calloused hand reaching for the prince's arm, leading him away from his dragon and the returning chatter of men at work.