renegade

I swear I still believe but I don't know

"If you say so," Ronin grumbles, only to inhale sharply and promptly straighten up as Remi's fingers find a particularly painful spot (which, he knows, just means it likely needs more attention than not). "There wasn't any nonsense that I could see while we were travelling, at least." Indeed, the captain had kept to himself more often than not, emerging only to really give his orders and check their course before vanishing into his cabin once more.

Scoffing at Remi's next comment, if Ronin were feeling more reasonable he might have capitalised on the turn in conversation; alas, he's of a similar mind to his husband right now. "Why, because you can't just get rid of him like you wanted to?" he asks with a raise of his eyebrows, only to promptly relax under the steady pressure of his hands. "If you keep this up I'm going to fall asleep in the shower," he warns.

the white knight

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

Humming under his breath as his husband's body goes tight, Remi continues to let his fingers do their work before moving on to another section so that the heat of the shower could begin to loosen what his hands had started to encourage. "Oh? Your eyes can see through the hulls of ships now, can they?" The Bastion wonders, and as much as he hates the thought of Jack's hands on his daughter (or any other part of him touching her, for that matter), it's far too easy to try and poke at Ronin's naivety along with his sore muscles.

"Yes. Exactly because of that." Remi agrees such that the half-snarl on his lips is only partially for theatrical effect. "No doubt Jack won't think it makes us even, me bringing him back. I'm sure he'll try and drag out his pain and suffering on Flora's account as long as he possibly can." The worst part being that it would work.

"I promise not to let you drown." Giving Ronin a break for a moment, Remi shifts his hips enough to stretch his legs out on either side of the Knight before drawing his husband back against his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

I swear I still believe but I don't know

"Mm, I got that ability when I became Vi's demigod, didn't I tell you?" Ronin smirks over his shoulder to his husband. "Listen, with the state both of them were in when we reached the Greatwood, I doubt there was anything going on besides hand holding." And Ronin has no idea, still, about the shiny new healing ring in Flora's possession, so he's content to keep believing that for the rest of his life, thank you.

Laughing despite himself (and despite the pain that the decision sends through his sore muscles), Ronin doesn't shrug his shoulders, but he does understand where Remi is coming from. "Will you hate me if I say I really don't mind who Flora spends her time with right now, as long as she's still here to spend it?" he asks quietly, immediately settling back against the Bastion as he's drawn back against his chest.

All but melting against the other manm Ronin turns his head to press a soft kiss against the side of Remi's neck. "I love you," he whispers, as if it's a secret someone might overhear.

the white knight

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

"Is that so?" Fixing his husband with an affectionate glare as the Knight twists, Remi can only scoff under his breath. "Ahh yes, because there's very little they could do with only their hands." Not entirely happy to be pointing this out, a few aches and pains had never stopped the pair of them from having what they wanted when they wanted it, and whoever's son Jack was, Flora was most certainly their daughter.

Falling silent, Remi swallows back the lump in his throat that threatens to grow painful if not properly addressed. Tilting his chin up and squinting into what feels like rainfall, he considers for another few moments before giving his head a shake. "No, of course not. More importantly though, you're right." Tilting his head to the side in order to press an awkward and overly affectionate kiss against Ronin's cheek as he settles back, Remi exhales softly through his nose. "Thank you for bringing her back to me." He whispers, tightening his grasp on the Knight in an effort to pull him even closer.

"It's only going to ever be you, for me." Remi whispers in response, and gods if the shower hadn't been so small the Bastion would happily have twisted himself into a pretzel in order to steal a real kiss from his husband's lips. Alas he was forced to infuse the places they touched with sea glass and gold as he leaned his chin against Ronin's shoulder.

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

I swear I still believe but I don't know

"Remi, I am doing my best to be a good Knight not to think about Jack's hands - or any other parts of him - being on or in Flora," Ronin points out with a faint smirk. "And you are making it very difficult." Because yes, of course the Bastion is very likely correct and the Knight had been escorting The Ark home whilst his daughter had been fucking on it, but gods if he doesn't want to think about it.

Allowing himself a distasteful wrinkle of his nose and nothing more, he can at least sense the way grief, however brief it had been, douses the other man's emotions, and Ronin reaches up and back to try and touch any part of Remi he's able, as if to offer comfort. "Of course. I didn't have to think twice," he whispers back, accepting the somewhat clumsy kiss to his cheek. As the hot water continues to drum down around them, Ronin finds his eyes slipping shut without his permission, and its with a bit of a start that he promptly sits up in Remi's arms.

"We should get dried off and go to bed," he says. "I need to sleep, and then write a bunch of letters..." And then Halo, he supposes.

the white knight

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

Chuckling gently, Remi rubs his cheek rather obnoxiously against Ronin's, letting his unshaven jawline prickle against the Knight's. "You know you don't have to be good with me." He hums, before scowling softly. "Though I could have done without thinking about his hands being in her." It was bad enough that she was their daughter, but it was perhaps extra unsettling being a gay man with no first-hand memories of what it was like to enjoy that sort of thing.

"I know, but..." Shrugging softly, Remi's fingers divert a small river of water on one of Ronin's shoulders in order to send it over his tattoo. "..there is no one else who could have done what you did."

Not minding at all the silence that stretched between them nor the slumbery blue that settled over his husband's emotions, it was with his own eyes fluttering open that Remi realized he too had begun to doze off. "We should." He agrees wearily despite making no attempt at all to part from the Knight. "To Sunjata, and then..?"

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

I swear I still believe but I don't know

"Yeah, well, I could have done without a lot of the images you put in my head," Ronin grumbles affectionately, turning his head as if to better accept whatever obnoxious nuzzling the Bastion wants to deliver. Sighing deeply and shifting enough to press a few warm kisses to Remi's cheek and the corner of his mouth, he considers whether or not he'll actually be able to get to his feet before starting the good fight to do just that. "I'd do it again a thousand times," he assures him with a tired smile, the words spoken through a groan of effort as he straightens up.

"To Sunjata, to the leaders to tell them what Pierce looks like and about how he's got a death blade thanks to me being an idiot, and I'm sure there are a dozen letters we've received since what happened in the Greatwood." He doesn't know when their general life admin included fielding no-my-daughter-isn't-actually-dead letters, but gods if it doesn't make him feel all kinds of ways. "But nothing before sleep." So saying he holds out a hand for Remi and reaches out to shut off the shower.

the white knight

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

"My sincerest apologies." Remi hums in return, before pressing a watery kiss against Ronin's cheek. "Non posso prometterti che non accadrà più, ma se dovesse succedere mi farò perdonare." He adds, knowing that the majority of the words will be meaningless to the Knight, and so making every effort to have them bounce and roll from his lips that they might be all the more pleasant to hear.

Making utterly no attempt to assist Ronin as he stands, instead the Bastion merely takes advantage of the view for a moment before his husband's words have the flame of heat beginning to curl in his belly extinguished entirely. "You were not being an idiot." Holding out his hand and bracing the other on the wall, Remi stands with a sigh. "If anything I suppose it is better that Pierce stole something from one of the strongest of us. If what happened with Flora was the first incident we might have charged in thinking we could take him head on and would likely have lost more than just a sword for our troubles."

Reaching for both towels, Remi drapes Ronin's over his shoulders in order to his it to tug the Knight against them while their bodies were still water-warmed. "Sleep first." He agrees softly before pressing his lips gently but decadently against Ronin's.

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever

I swear I still believe but I don't know

"Mm, yes, all of those things." Smiling dumbly as the travelling tongue spills against his cheek, wrapping him in its pretty music, Ronin helps his husband to his feet, though any humour in his eyes dies out as the subject returns, inevitably, to Pierce and all that had happened. "I think that's the farthest you've ever had to reach to spin something in a good light," he says dryly. "Ah yes, Ronin, a good thing you were beaten up, because it showed us that we'll all be beaten up."

Still, that does at least have a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth, one that Remi will feel as he manhandles the Knight with his towel. Tugged inexorably against the other man, he melts into his kiss with a sort of exhausted passion that wishes it could be much more than it is. Alas, that might have to be another thing that waits for tomorrow. "Let's go, then," he whispers against the Bastion's lips, guiding them out of the shower and trying his best to towel himself off without leaving Remi's arms.

the white knight

i wish i could say that i am a light that never goes out

"And that is only because normally everything you do is already in a good light. I am clearly out of practice." Remi chuckles in response, and if his words aren't as witty as they might otherwise have been, he blames the abundance of hot water which feels as though it's soaked into his skin and steeped his brain.

"mmmmmmmmmmmmm." The Bastion hums, not bothering to end their kiss early in order to communicate his agreement. Dexterous enough to make it back to their room without having to part for more than a step or so, by the time the Taliesins collapse into bed, they've only made halfhearted attempts at drying themselves off. Luckily the air is still more than warm enough such that a bit of moisture on their sheets isn't going to be too uncomfortable, and while Remi has every intention of wrapping Ronin up in his arms to remap every inch of his skin, the Knight's exhaustion seemed to be contagious; as soon as the pair are covered with their very furs, Remi can always feel the weight of sleep tugging at his heels.

"I'm so glad you're home." The Bastion whispers into the crook of Ronin's neck as he drapes an arm around his husband's hip and bonelessly relaxes for the first time since Flora had died.

~FIN

but I  f l i c k e r

from time to time

REMI

Table and Gif sniping by SKY who is eternally the best forever