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"If you're going to lecture me—"
Orion huffed a dry laugh, shaking his head and clapping a hand to Thancred's shoulder before he dropped into the chair next to the other man at the Scion's usual table in a corner of the Forgotten Knight.
"How could I when you first stopped me from doing it unprovoked? I've been itching to do just that practically since I met the little arsehole. At least by the time you put him on his arse, he'd well and truly asked for it."
Orion glanced up to hail a server, but already someone was setting a mug of his usual cider down in front of him, an ale set at Thancred's elbow. Somehow without anyone needing to say anything, that particular table had become the quickly reconstituted Scions' reserved place at the tavern, and anytime Orion had entered the place since the fall of Thordan, the seats had been empty and available for their use, the service quick and practically unvoiced. While he suspected coordination backed by Gibrillont, the proprietor, it would not do to underestimate the subtle politics of the people of the Brume and the ways in which they showed gratitude.
After all, the Knight had quickly become a steady haunt and hangout from near the beginning of their time in Ishgard. Tataru knew the name of nearly every patron as she'd spent so much time within its walls, and even Ori could remember some of the regulars, terrible though he was with names. Now, even though they had the Rising Stones returned to them and a cohort inhabiting it again around the clock, the lead Scions spent more time in Ishgard these days than anywhere else, and the Forgotten Knight was their usual meeting place. It was far less stuffy and stilted than the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly, and often felt like they had more privacy in the corner of this often noisy public room than even the quiet confines of the Stones' Solar. Especially considering how many unwanted visitors they'd had in the latter.
Still, even with the somewhat private corner seats and the crowd murmur concealing most things said at anything quieter than a yell, Thancred kept his voice low and Orion had to rely on his impeccable viera ears to hear the other man.
"He is an arsehole," Thancred's face was clouded, and he chewed the words, his teeth gritted as if he was trying to keep the next ones back. "But it was an ill choice. I… I should not like to cost us the favor of House Fortemps. If you think I should apologize…"
"Peace," Orion murmured, glancing up to hail another server - if he was to have more than one drink that evening, he was going to want a bowl of the Knight's hearty stew to begin. "You needn't even consider it. Artoirel is likely more surprised one of us has taken this long to lay Emmanellain out, and I sincerely doubt he would begrudge you,had he the tale of it. Their father is good hearted and would be understanding; if he even finds out, he'll merely be thankful there was no public drama to add to the current flames, considering how much of a bait for scandal Emmanellain usually is. Honoroit is with the chirugeons and will make an excellent recovery, should the Twelve be kind. Emmanellain's jaw and hindquarters will be sore for a few days, and he should be glad of it, because had you not stepped between us to begin with, I'd've put him in a convalescent's bed next to Honoroit. Think on it no further, I say."
The ghost of a smile haunted the corners of Thancred's mouth, and not for the first time Orion wished that his friend hadn't had to wear the thick scarf across his injured eye, as it made him that much harder to read. That was part of the point, of course, but the viera hated the necessity, at least in a moment like this where he simply wished to lighten Thancred's heart. Since their return from the Antitower, his brooding had become worse, making them all a bit concerned.
He wouldn't say it, but under the circumstances, Orion was honestly impressed by the other man's iron restraint. Emmanellain had basically all but accused Thancred of not understanding what it was to make a mistake, when Ori knew that, atop the pile of what he likely counted as many personal failings in recent times, Thancred blamed himself wholly and utterly for what had happened to Minfilia. That he had long felt responsible for the accident that had taken away the girl's father, as well. In Orion's observance, guilt upon guilt weighed on Thancred, a man second only to Urianger for how little he confided in others, and Ori had no idea how to help, his friend was such a locked vault.
Orion knew a similar ache, felt a similar loss, of someone he loved lost beyond his reach. Raha slept in the Crystal Tower, just out of sight and yet, for all intents and purposes, gone for good. The first person since his youth that he'd felt anything serious, anything large and meaningful for; not even a full change of seasons spent with the miqo'te in his life, and everything they could have been had been ripped away, slammed shut behind a heavy gilded door.
It was all too maudlin to muse upon, and Orion needed to lift them both out of it, lest they drown together.
"Tell me something," The viera demanded, breaking the silence that had settled while kicking the leg of Thancred's chair and then pointing at his so far untouched stein at the other's grunt of protest. As Thancred grabbed it and took a hesitant sip, Ori continued, "Did you truly fashion knives from some stones and kill a bear with them? I still struggle to believe it, honestly."
"Surely you, of all people, cannot doubt how resourceful I am!" Thancred pressed his free hand to his heart, receiving an invisible wound that made him dramatically slump in his seat, his ale sloshing just enough for emphasis but not spilling a drop. The relief in his voice at something lighter to speak on was near palpable. "Oh, how could you? I'll have you know, I fashioned blades so fine with literally only my wits about me, that I truly had to think more than twice about it before trading them along with some skins for better equipment. Obsidian can be brittle, and if I wasn't aware of how lucky I'd been that they'd lasted me as long as they did, I'd've kept them."
He took a good few gulps of his drink, partially wiping his mouth with his thumb before adding, "Honestly, I might go back there at some point, buy them back if they still have them lying around. A finesouvenir…"
"A reminder of how resourceful you can actually be," Orion stressed encouragingly, listening to Thancred scoff before he continued to finish off his no-longer neglected drink. "The Vath are very industrious, though they might argue otherwise. Unlikely they would leave useful tools to sit about, but they might still have them, and they love gysahl greens more than they do any pointy objects. It could be a welcome trade, if luck's on your side. They're not quite the savviest folk, but they'd give anything for some fresh, crunchy veggies."
Thancred let out an easy laugh, one that became larger and easier as the evening wore on, breaking through fleeting smiles and rueful, knowing smirks. Orion was becoming rather distracted by Thancred's mouth, he was finding, as they had their drinks filled a second and then a third time. Ori blamed it, again, on that black scarf.
Eyes were easier, they spoke so much and usually no one remarked if you stared or watched their eyes, especially if they were your drinking companion. But as the night wore on, they had more drinks and their chairs drew closer together, Ori found himself staring more and more at Thancred's lush mouth. It didn't help those lips finally caught and held a smile during their second drink, and were smirking deeply by drink number three.
"Is it too loud in here?" Thancred leaned into Ori's shoulder and murmured with a low chuckle as the older man finished off the last of his drink.
"At this hour? Almost always by half," Ori groused with a sigh, sensitive grey viera ears flicking their teal tips at the bustle around them, his eyes combing the busy tavern. Glancing back at his friend he then frowned, curious, "Why?"
"I was wondering if you'd been reduced to reading my lips, you're so fixed on them."
Ori could feel his cheeks heat, always a telling betrayal on his snowy skin. "Sorry, I just…"
"I know," Thancred reached up to touch the black wrap across his eyes, looking honestly rueful. "Not permanent, thankfully, but hard to avoid."
"'S not that. Honestly, just makes you more attractive. Mysterious, not that you ever needed any help with that. And the scruff. You wear it so well."
One of Ori's hands reached up, unchecked due to the looseness of alcohol, a few fingers and a thumb scrubbing through the roughness at Thancred's jaw. He barely registered Thancred's breath halting as that thumb brushed a few more times before ghosting over the other man's bottom lip. Then, suddenly, his hand was enveloped in Thancred's, larger and warmer, pulling it away from his face and down to the table.
"Ori…"
"Sorry," Orion gulped, belatedly realizing what he'd done. His ears folded back with sudden embarrassment, a rare occurrence indeed, and his face flushed more. He attempted to pull his hand free, but Thancred held it still in his, his grip tight enough against a half-hearted protest. Now Thancred was staring at him, his gaze darting back and forth between Ori's own mismatched eyes and the viera's bow lips.
"Ori, I…"
"Only, I just," Ori swallowed hard and then leaned closer, letting his lips brush Thancred's jaw instead. Not even a caress, just wanting to feel the sensation. That roughness of short trimmed beard against the sensitive skin of his mouth. To an observer it likely just looked like Ori had leaned in to say something privately.
The closeness, the sudden intimacy of it had knocked the wind from Thancred's throat, his good eye closing against sensation. Though he might not admit it to anyone, he'd been avoiding close physical contact with nearly anyone since he'd returned from the wilderness. Oh, he'd made empty show of flirting here and there in public. But where before the Bloody Banquet he might have easily walked away for an evening or an afternoon's dalliance with a light heart and no thought beyond the moment, for some reason everything currently weighed too heavily, and he found himself unable to find the joy in a fling. The few times some of his closest compatriots had made anything like an observation about it, he'd quickly changed the subject, deflecting with great ease.
This was different, though. This was a close friend, someone he had complicated history with, offering. His eye drifted open again to find Orion had pulled back an ilm, and was looking at him with a mix of hesitation but also no small amount of desire. Thancred couldn't help a similar echo from in his chest, the pulse in throat picking up so that he had to swallow against it, taking a deep breath through his nose.
"I want to see you without it," Orion breathed, and they were close enough that Thancred could hear him clear as day. He knew exactly what he meant, as Ori stared at him, as if he could catch sight of his injured eye through the wrap. "A strange request, I know, but…"
Glancing around hesitantly, Thancred gave a sharp nod, then pushed back his chair, standing suddenly enough that it made Orion start, they'd been sitting so close.
"My room, c'mon," Thancred grunted, waiting for Orion to stumble to his feet before leading the way towards the Seventh Heaven inn rooms where he and several of the other Scions had taken up residence, not wanting to inconvenience the Fortemps any more than they already were, as they already generously boarded several of their members. Tataru insisted they could now afford it, and Gilbront kept surprisingly well-appointed rooms.
Orion followed his comrade silently down several dimly lit corridors until they paused in front of one door, Thancred opening it with a quickly palmed key, and led him inside a darkened room. Familiar enough with these digs, Orion immediately went to the closest lantern and lit it, busying himself with his back to Thancred to give the other man space if he needed it, to consider his request - consider whether or not he even wished to concede to it, even. The viera's hands were not the steadiest, all things considered. When sober and sensible, he was unshakable as a stone. But in this moment, with a number of drinks in him and after such a sensitive ask, the tremble in his fingers as he lit the lamp was surely understandable.
When Orion turned, Thancred had the wrap in his hands and the older man was suddenly glad he'd kept the light turned low, just in case the injury had made the hyur sensitive. He was blinking, likely because keeping the eye covered made it hard to adjust to any input at all. And then he looked up at Ori, one golden-brown eye… and one smoke white, meeting Orion's own mismatched, sky-colored stare steadily, even though his body seemed anxious, tense.
Ori took the several steps to close the distance between them, nearly chest to chest as his eyes met a similar gaze. On some level he knew, he'd been told that, unlike him, eventually Thancred's eye would heal and return to normal. Still, it was an oddly reassuring simpatico. Injured eyes, injured hearts… Orion reached up and stroked his fingers again across that scruff, his eyelids lowering at the sensation, and this time Thancred did not stop him. Instead he leaned into it, his jaw loosening at the touch, mouth open to take soft huffing breaths as one of his arms looped Orion's waist and drew him closer.
"Last time we did this, I was far more inebriated," Orion chuckled softly, his fingers bending, almost scratching, his thumb caressing at the corner of the other man's mouth and then stroking at the fullness of his bottom lip. Thancred let loose a soft, almost bitter laugh.
"Not certain that speaks well to my discernment, or to how much you truly wanted that evening to happen. As you never really mentioned it again, I had assumed it was… that you didn't…"
"Oh, I very much did. It was liquid courage. I was so nervous, half convinced you'd laugh me out of the tavern if I'd approached you, until you'd buried your mouth against my neck and practically gave me a gigantic bruise in public," Orion laughed, and the sound seemed to set Thancred more at ease, the smile he'd been wearing earlier starting to creep back onto his face.
He was so handsome it made Orion a little bit dizzy, and the viera leaned into him, his other hand smoothing down Thancred's chest and slipping over to unbuckle his belt, the motion of which had Thancred's face sobering into something far more concentrated all at once. His hands raised to begin to unclasp Ori's own belts, pushing his leather jacket from his shoulders and sweeping his palms down the plane of his back, pulling his shirt free from his trousers and pushing up under it to feel the scarred pattern of Ori's back, tugging the other man close.
"Impossible," Thancred mused, leaning in to nip at Ori's bottom lip. "Sure, we'd only just met, but you're… you. Hells, most of the people I was flirting with that night were partly only paying attention to me because they wanted to get close enough to try and chat you up."
"Don't be ridiculous," Orion laughed, pushing at Thancred's chest for a little space before becoming a bit more focused on unbuttoning and unclasping the hyur's shirt until it hung open, leaving a tempting swath of well-built chest to trail his fingers down. "As if the scrawny me of three summers past could've held a candle to you. Most of that group that night couldn't get enough of you. None of them were even looking at me, I'm fairly certain."
"Your eyes must've been tired. Or perhaps you'd already had too much to drink, maybe that was it, because I had to practically mark you in front of them all so that they'd all get the picture - and to get you with the program, because you seemed to be completely oblivious to my advances until I put my lips on your neck," Thancred chuckled, moving down to ghost his mouth just there, right below Orion's Archon mark, where he'd kissed and then sucked a not insignificant mark into Ori's skin the first time they'd dallied together. Ori's hands gripped at Thancred's biceps and dragged him closer.
"The drink, and not a fair bit of having talked myself in the other direction, then. I was so certain you wouldn't be interested," Orion chuckled at the idea of himself, so many seasons past now, much less confident in so many ways, then gasped as Thancred set about to recreate that mark.
Even now, as a well-heeled and touted adventurer and supposed 'hero', with all the proof that he's desired right in front of him, a long-ago encounter in the past recalled with fondness, it was still a little difficult to believe that the talented and handsome man whose hands were currently divesting him of his trousers could actually want him. His own insecurities were never too far away, no matter how many notches were carved in his bedpost, the little insidious voices of the past would always whisper he wasn't ever quite enough.
Time to drown them out.
He tugged at Thancred's choker, directing him upwards until Ori could boldly press his lips to Thancred's, teasing with his tongue to ask for an entry that was quickly accepted and given. More hands shifted to disrobe each other as kisses pressed back and forth, some deep and testing, some light and playful. As Ori worked to free Thancred's arms from his top, the man gave out a laugh, doing his best to help but getting a bit stuck in his own sleeves. He shook his head, letting Ori lead the way in figuring it out and resigning himself to watch instead, faces close enough that Ori could easily see the smile lines that had been absent far too often of late.
"I'll never get used to the idea that you think yourself beneath my notice, of all people. I've never seen you miss, whenever you deign to pull."
"Yes, but that's just anyone in a given tavern of a certain evening. Most of the time I've never met that person before and won't see them again," Ori huffed, finally pulling Thancred's hand free of his sleeve and discarding the offending garment to one side before looking back up at the taller man, a grey brow arching as he insisted, "You're you. Back then, I thought you a handsome, winsome, talented individual whose opinion I held in high esteem. You were an Archon in your own right, and a member of an organization I admired and wished to earn my place in. Even now that I know better…"
Orion laughed as Thancred let out a note of outrage and gave him a ticklish grab, pushing him back towards the bed even as they playfully fought a little, Ori trying to twist away from those teasing fingers even as he pushed the other man's trousers off and away, leaving them both in smallclothes. He let out a soft note of surprise as the backs of his shins hit the side of the bed, and a soft shove from Thancred left him sprawled across the bedspread. He pulled his legs up, propped on his elbows only to watch as Thancred divested himself with little fanfare of his tight boxers, then crawled up over Ori to kneel above him, leaning down to capture his mouth in a searing kiss.
"Oh, hello," Orion breathed hotly once they managed to part, only to lean in again for a few more quick, heated pecks that turned into something intense and deep as Thancred coaxed him to shift back and up into the pillows, his sides and hips being stroked by wide, warm palms. Those hands teased at the edges of Ori's boxers, dipping below the band, tickling up under the edge of the leg. Then one of Thancred's hands pressed through the cloth, sliding against his length, causing his tip to slip out of its confines, and Ori let out an involuntary whimper that made Thancred grin like he'd won a jackpot at the Gold Saucer.
The shorts were quickly removed after that, leaving the two men bare as they pressed together, rutting their hips slowly in the low light of the room. Ori was glad that, for all he was still a bit warm and fuzzy from his drinks, he was far more clear-headed this time around. He wanted to remember this, remember how Thancred's face looked with two offset eyes, pupils blown wide with lust, his mouth lax with how good it felt as Orion explored just how to stroke his cock. He wanted to remember just how he encouraged Thancred to continue to reapply the bruise on his neck from their first encounter, adding just enough teeth to make it delicious. Needed to be able to recall how good it felt when Thancred began to stretch him using the oil he kept in his nightstand, a bottle that had gone unused until now during the hyur's stay in Ishgard.
Each little thing that blurred into such a wonderful amalgam of delicious sensation as they played with each other, both having abstained from the touch of another person for far longer than either liked.
Eventually Ori coaxed Thancred over onto his back, head resting on the cushions with his forearm folded behind his head like some louche demi-god, his other hand caressing Orion's hipbone encouragingly as the viera lowered himself onto his cock. With slow, delicious rolls of his hips, Ori rode Thancred, hands restless between leaning back onto the hyur's thighs and leaning forward against his stomach. Either way, strong muscle tensed and corded under his hands, supporting him any way he wanted to lean as long as he didn't stop the enthusiastic bounce and rock of his hips - that was something Thancred repeated over and over.
"H-however you like, gorgeous, just don't stop…"
His white hair tossed back against the pillows, he was the one who was gorgeous, if only Ori could find the words to say it beyond the moans and groans that poured forth, deep and earnest from his chest. He stretched up, leaning in to kiss his lover, desperate, biting things as they rocked together a bit more frantically. Ori's cock leaked between them, wet and untouched as Thancred's thrusts upwards became harder. His opposite hand came down to hold him in place as the larger man's pelvis rocked up to strike, pinpoint accurate on that place inside that made Ori's eyes roll back.
Eventually Thancred repositioned them, turning Orion onto his hands and knees and drawing up behind him on his own. After pushing in, he barely gave Ori a moment to breathe before setting a breathtaking pace, hard and fast. Ori almost instantly fell onto his elbows, pulling down the pillows to muffle his cries, fingers curling into the cases with ecstacy. Soon Thancred's hand reached down to stroke Orion in tandem with his thrusts, a shaking voice begging for the older man to come, relentless with it as Orion writhed beneath him, his mouth open and panting as he begged for more, more…
And then he came, spurting into the coverlet, every muscle tensing under the onslaught as Thancred fucked him through it and then slowed as Orion trembled under him, little aftershocks making his toes curl and his fingers tense. He could feel Thancred disengage, causing him to shudder as he heard slick sounds above him and turned his head, twisting just enough to look over his shoulder.
Their mismatched eyes met, Thancred groaning as he began to come, stroking himself fast, his hand gripping Orion's waist hard as he leaned forward to press his cock to the cleft of the viera's arse, his come spurting across his lower back, dripping down, wet against his hole. Orion whimpered and bucked, feeling the searing heat of Thancred's length smearing mess against his skin. The other man moaned in return and rocked himself in the lee of Ori's arsecheeks, using his hands to press them together and fuck himself through few small aftershocks of his own. He then pushed back inside for a few deep, sweet thrusts, making Ori melt into the mattress, shuddering. As Thancred started to soften, he pulled out again, reaching for the bedside and a nightshirt that he used to clean them both off.
Orion barely noticed, already half-asleep as large, gentle hands stroked him clean, pulled off the top cover and coaxed him to shift under the sheets. He was far gone by the time Thancred had tossed the stained shirt to the floor, given himself a cursory rinse in the wash basin and curled up under the sheets against Orion's side, tugging blankets up to keep them both warm. There was a tender smile on the hype's face as he stroked the shoulder of his companion before slinging a loose arm around his waist, nose pressed to the back of Orion's neck as he sought his own rest.
—
Bells later, the bare light of dawn hardly outlining the edges of the dark curtains drawn across the room's frosted window, Orion pulled his clothes on quietly, trying not to disturb the peaceful slumber of his friend. As he sat to don his boots, he sighed with not a little regret at having to rise so early. There were scant hours remaining before he needed to show his face for another round of meetings, and gods knew he needed a good wash, a change of clothes and a meal beforehand.
Looking up, it was all he could do to take in the tableau before him and not crawl back under the warm covers. Watching Thancred's chest rise and fall, he silently hoped his sleep was always this deep, this undisturbed. The man deserved it. He'd suffered as much as as any of them and more, had been through too much, lost too much.
Ori was happy to spend a night showing him his appreciation, enjoying his company, maybe even start him towards rediscovering his joie de vivre, the confidence that his friend had somehow lost somewhere along the way. Perhaps this was not something they were suited for more than once or twice, but it was not mindless and forgettable, and Ori hoped Thancred was aware of that. He hoped Thancred realized that he himself was more than just a pawn, that he truly was indispensable. Their little group needed him, Orion needed him - not just as the Warrior of Light needed a comrade, but as a man needed a good friend, someone who knew him better, as far more than just a one-night stand. It was nice to look into someone's similar eyes and be so understood.
They wouldn't do this again, Orion knew. Perhaps they shouldn't have done it this time - or ever, really. But somehow he couldn't bring himself to truly regret knowing Thancred this way. There was a depth to be had from having held a friend this close, even if it was only once or twice. His smile bordered on sad as he shook his grey curls ruefully, considering the likelihood of anything more and then dismissing it utterly. No. This would be it, he was certain of it. They weren't meant for this, and that was alright, too.
He stood and walked to the bedside, tugging the blankets up just a little more to keep his friend warm, before he turned to walk out. He was careful to keep his footsteps light, gentle with the door to keep it as quiet as he could.
Too preoccupied with leaving silently, Ori failed to notice a preternaturally white eye crack open to watch the door close. Thancred lifted his head after the lock clicked, then let it fall back into his pillow, letting out a long breath. He stared for a moment at the ceiling, wondering if this would always be his fate, waking alone in a slowly cooling bed.
Still, he couldn't bring himself to regret the previous night. There was something settling about being with someone who knew you more than a few hours chat over a drink. At least he could reassure himself nothing was broken after his surreptitious stroll though the Lifestream. Not that he thought much had, beyond his pride… And perhaps his confidence. It had been nice, to stretch his… 'legs' in a way, and to do it with a friend, someone who understood.
Even if that friend was the esteemed and vaunted Warrior of Light.
…Oh gods, this could never happen again.
Laughing softly at himself and his thrice-damned luck, he rolled over and resettled the blankets around himself, a somewhat rueful but satisfied smile on his face as he sunk back to sleep.