[SE] god of wine

RONIN

the white knight

The Hanged Man isn't any more, so Ronin has opted to take them to a cozy little wine bar once they're finished with stakes and flags and rope along the Ahi Coast. The sun is sinking behind the sea like a bloody coin, painting the sky in streamers of red and orange and violet as they step inside, the Knight's arm casually around his husband's waist.

They're greeted - as in most places - with polite familiarity, and Ronin ushers them to a booth at one of the windows so they might enjoy the last of the sun before it sets. "There are cocktail specials," he announces with a bounce of his eyebrows as he sidles into his seat, sliding the menu towards Remi. "Not that they will remotely touch your sobriety, but perhaps you can enjoy one as part of a job well done?"

He knows the other man is more for gin when it comes to liquor, but hey, life is all about variety, no?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the bastion

And you should know,
I left but never lost my place

Remi lets his fingers graze across Ronin’s back as they part, his hand lingering just long enough to remind the Knight that the warmth between them doesn’t vanish just because they’ve taken seats. Sliding smoothly into the booth, he draws his leg beneath the table and immediately presses one foot against Ronin’s with deliberate familiarity, the contact lazy but purposeful.

Raising a brow as if suspicious, he echoes the offer with a wry twist of amusement: "Cocktail specials?" Like they’ve just stepped into some sort of tourist trap and he’s bracing for pineapple skewers and flower-shaped fruit garnishes. But the suspicion doesn’t last, he snickers under his breath and shrugs, reaching lazily for the edge of the menu only to push it back toward Ronin instead. "Mm. Surprise me, then. Though if there’s anything that comes in a coconut shell with a tiny sword, you know I’ll be taking that one."

Letting his eyes drift across the wine bar, Remi takes in the glow of warm lanterns against polished wood and deep reds, the way the dusklight slants in gold stripes across the floors and tabletops. His tone is dry but fond as his gaze settles back on his husband. "So," he drawls, resting his chin in one hand, "care to place a bet on how long before Flora calls us in to rebuild her next bar?" He lifts his brows pointedly.

and these nights I miss you most
my heart is yours to break

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

the white knight

Remi already knows as much, but Ronin is often delighted at the tourist trap bars and their watermelon flowers, and so as he's offered the chance to surprise his husband, he naturally seizes on the opportunity. "Coconut and tiny sword, check," he murmurs under his breath, lips curling in a smirk as he skims the menu. They don't have Remi's precise requirements, alas, but there are a couple of cocktails that are obnoxious enough to peak their interest, he thinks.

Rising to his feet after letting his foot nudge affectionately against the Bastion's under the table, he leaves briefly to place their orders and, on his return, brings with him a basket of coconut fried shrimp, bouncing his eyebrows at the other man as he sits himself back down. "I couldn't resist," he informs him, "but if I can't tempt you to share, I entirely understand."

And doesn't mind at all, for the record.

"You think she'll want another bar after this?" he asks of Flora. "Also, I am going to start keeping a tally of the number of conversations we have about our daughter, you know."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the bastion

And you should know,
I left but never lost my place

Remi watches Ronin go with undisguised appreciation, the corner of his mouth curling just a touch as the Knight weaves through the cozy warmth of the bar. He lets his gaze linger a moment longer than necessary before shifting it lazily toward the window, taking in the golden spill of light across the waves and a few locals meandering along the shore, towels slung over shoulders, laughter rising like hel cries, the slow pulse of Torchline easing into dusk.

By the time Ronin returns with a basket of shrimp and the telltale glint of mischief in his grin, Remi doesn’t bother hiding the fondness in his eyes. "We agreed when we got married," he murmurs, plucking one of the shrimp delicately between two fingers, "that we'd always share all of our burdens."

At the mention of Flora, Remi’s expression softens, though he rolls his eyes in a way that’s more habitual than exasperated. "Torchline will want another bar," he corrects with a wry shake of his head, licking a smear of coconut from the pad of his thumb. "But based on her notice, I do think Flora means to build it."

With a mock-solemn expression and a raised brow, he leans slightly across the table. "Alright then, tally man, forgive me for trying to keep track of our children's lives. What would you like to talk about, instead?" His toes nudge against Ronin’s under the table again, the gesture affectionate and teasing all at once. "Weather? Politics? The state of your hair these days?"

and these nights I miss you most
my heart is yours to break

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

the white knight

"This is not a burden at all, I assure you husband," Ronin says breezily of the basket of shrimp, eyes glittering with continued mischief and his foot knocking against Remi's once again beneath the table. "But I always appreciate your commitment to our vows." So saying, he generously allows the other man to help himself without a fight, even if they do almost pick the same shrimp on more than one occasion.

Casting his gaze out to the cozy bar around them, Ronin gestures as if to say whatever for? aren't there enough already? But he understands the need for a local watering hole and, upon finishing his bite of shrimp, he hums his agreement. "It wouldn't be our first time helping to build something," he agrees. "Makes you wish people would stop fucking burning it down though, right?"

Grinning and grabbing another shrimp from the basket, he almost throws it at Remi for his sass, mouth falling open in horror. "There is nothing wrong with my hair," he hisses. "And I wouldn't mind keeping track of our children, only it's never our children, it's just whatever Flora might pull us into next." He raises his eyebrows as if challenging Remi to tell him he's wrong.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the bastion

And you should know,
I left but never lost my place

Remi’s grin curves like a secret as he lets the moment stretch, only almost stealing a shrimp from Ronin’s fingers; just enough to keep the Knight on his toes, not enough to earn retribution.

Tilting his head, Remi hums and shrugs as if the topic of burning buildings is little more than a quirk of Torchline living. "The notice she put up said she burned it down," he murmurs, lashes flicking as he glances out the window again, where the last orange of the sunset has begun to bleed into indigo. "So if she complains, she’s only herself to blame."

His mouth shapes an oh okay about the state of the Knight's hair with theatrical wide eyes, but as Ronin fires back, some of that mischief falters. Remi leans back into the booth, the corner of his mouth twitching like he’s not sure if it wants to frown or fold. "Mateo hasn’t really spoken to me since LongNight," he says softly, fingers brushing absently over the table. "When I went to see him and Flora. I don’t know what he’s been doing, other than moving back to Stormbreak."

and these nights I miss you most
my heart is yours to break

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

the white knight

"Mm, and you believe that?" Ronin says a touch skeptically, wiping his fingers on a napkin and raising a brow. "Our daughter is a lot of things, but I've never known her to burn things down when she's done with them." He wrinkles his nose; perhaps it's another thing they can speak to her about when he goes to offer his services, a gift basket, and potentially his face for slapping and having the audacity.

He senses the mischief fade even before Remi speaks; immediately contrite, Ronin reaches out to rest his hand over the Bastion's offering an apologetic smile. "He did come to our anniversary party, and he seemed happy," he says softly. "I was hoping he might have reached out, but..." Sighing heavily, he glances down at the table. "I suppose that's the price we pay for having him feel like he has to do everything by himself. He just... does."

They're interrupted, for better or worse, by the arrival of their cocktails. Ronin has ordered Remi something called a White Rabbit on the menu, a blend of amaretto, cream, vanila and lemon zest, garnished with edible flowers. Ronin, on the other hand, has in his possession what was called a Sea Breeze Punch. He can see cranberry juice and he can smell vodka, and the ice cubes all have little cranberries frozen into them.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the bastion

And you should know,
I left but never lost my place

Remi lifts his brows, thoughtful rather than dismissive. "Her notice said it was time to rebuild it anyway," he murmurs, the words slow and even, as if weighing each one. "And I’ve never known her to be a liar." Flora was dramatic and reckless to be sure, but an outright liar?

His fingers remain still beneath Ronin’s, though the tension threading through the golden bond is unmistakable. Not sharp or hot, but bitter in a quiet, metallic way; like blood swallowed after biting one’s tongue. Remi only shrugs, the motion small. "At least when we’ve made mistakes with Flora, she’s let us make it up to her," he says softly, his mouth tugging faintly at one corner. "Even if it’s meant being handed a hammer and working off the debt in sweat." It felt like their daughter cared enough to repair what had been inadvertently broken, whereas with Mateo, it didn't, and gods but that was a sobering thought.

Remi's on the edge of continuing—of laying bare the ache Mateo’s silence has carved deeper than he'd like to admit—when the arrival of their drinks interrupts him. The timing is perfect and cruel, and so Remi smiles at the server politely, the corners of his mouth still tight from words half-swallowed. He eyes the creamy bouquet before him with a crooked smile, lifting it delicately between his fingers, the flowers brushing his knuckles like apology. "Cheers," he says quietly, glancing at Ronin over the rim as if his toast carries more than it claims.

and these nights I miss you most
my heart is yours to break

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

the white knight

Sighing to himself - because Remi is correct, but there's something about the bar burning to the ground that still doesn't sit right with him - Ronin lets his thumb brush gently across the back of his husband's hand. "Maybe he's just... gods, I don't know," he says softly, dropping the train of thought before it even properly takes hold. Their son is an enigma sometimes and an open book others, and there's never telling which they're going to get.

Also offering a polite smile to the server and murmuring his thanks, unlike Remi, Ronin leaves his drink untouched. And as the other man raises his glass in a toast, he instead lifts Remi's hand, bringing his knuckles to his lips in a soft, lingering kiss. "Nothing is unfixable," he tells him with gentle reverence, the words stubborn and sweetly certain. "Look at you and Isla. Look at the two of us." Our lives, our tethers to the gods that we somehow managed to change, our love.

"Perhaps, after Longnight, we take a trip up to Stormbreak together for a bit." Not just an afternoon. Enough time to start trying to stitch together something that has been frayed for far too long.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the bastion

And you should know,
I left but never lost my place

Remi sets the creamy bouquet of a cocktail back down on the table without drinking, the glass cool and slightly damp beneath his fingertips. The smile he gives Ronin as his knuckles are kissed is soft in the way clouds are before they break, carrying too many unspoken things inside them. His fingers curl slightly in the Knight’s hand, returning the affection with quiet affection, but his nod is far from decisive.

"I went to Stormbreak a few months ago," he says gently, the confession folded between words like petals pressed into a letter. "While Mateo was still living there." There’s a subtle tilt to his mouth, the kind that makes apologies unnecessary but still offered all the same. "I didn’t say anything to you about it because it was part of the quest Mort gave me for our anniversary." The explanation lingers, weightless and heavy all at once.

"I saw him then," he murmurs, thumb absently grazing Ronin’s where their hands remain joined. "Told him he’d always be welcome. That he was wanted. But..." Remi’s gaze drops, lashes skimming the soft light that pools in their booth, "after everything that happened last LongNight, I told him the ball was in his court. That I wouldn’t push, wouldn’t try and fix something until he was ready."

His voice thins into a breath, then, more exhale than sentence. "I don't want to give him another reason to doubt me," he says simply, "by going back on that and crowding him." His head dips in a doubtful little shake, curls falling into his eyes as he shifts the weight of unspoken ache from one shoulder to the other.

and these nights I miss you most
my heart is yours to break

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

the white knight

Ronin listens quietly as Remi speaks, giving him the stage for things that perhaps should have been said much sooner. He squeezes his hand gently, a silent dismissal of an apology not needed in the slightest, his head dipping to press another kiss to the Bastion's knuckles. "Okay," he says softly, when the other man is finished. "Then we'll keep letting the ball be in his court. But it doesn't mean we love him any less for giving him space." No matter how much space it seems to be.

Lowering Remi's hand at last but not releasing it, Ronin lets out a long sigh that drags his shoulders down with the exhaustion of it. "He was here in Torchline for much longer than I expected," he says softly. "I think it was good for him. Maybe he's been spending this time working things through." It's only conjecture at best, but if Mateo had moved back to Stormbreak, it certainly didn't seem like it was because he felt like he had to.

"I love you," Ronin says suddenly, his smile as sad as it is hopelessly adoring as he gazes across at Remi. "I'm sorry this is hard."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the bastion

And you should know,
I left but never lost my place

Remi falls quiet, his expression unreadable at first as Ronin’s words settle around him like the hush of a late tide. He doesn’t pull away from the hand in his, nor from the kiss to his knuckles. If anything, his grip tightens slightly, his fingers squeezing softly.

He can’t decide if it makes things better or worse, knowing Mateo isn’t speaking to Ronin either. The fact that their son isn’t singling him out should be reassuring in a way, but instead it coils with a different kind of worry. Maybe it isn’t just about the fight they had. Maybe it’s something bigger, quieter, deeper. And if that’s true—if something’s truly broken—then maybe his guilt has less weight. Or maybe it just sits differently now, lodged somewhere further inside his ribs.

Still, his smile flickers upward with genuine affection as he looks across at Ronin. "Maybe I’ve been talking about Flora so much to compensate," he says, voice wry and soft, his thumb brushing back and forth along the Knight’s fingers as he glances out of the window.

But his eyes don’t leave Ronin’s for long. That lovestruck look returns easily, naturally, as if it’s built into him. "I love you too," he says, a little firmer this time, before giving Ronin’s hand another squeeze. "Hard as it is, it's easier with you around."

He straightens then, letting his shoulders roll back and the weight shift from his chest. Glancing down at his creamy concoction and then across at Ronin’s festive cranberry situation, he arches a brow. "You're going to explain what exactly it is I'm about to drink," he says, utterly dubious.

and these nights I miss you most
my heart is yours to break

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

the white knight

"Heh, well. If you have been, it's lucky that Flora always seems to have something going on for us to talk about." Grinning to Remi and relishing the warm touch of the other man's fingers as they take their turn in brushing affection across the back of his hand, Ronin's smile softens into something quiet and endlessly smitten with the man opposite.

It doesn't fade even as Remi sits back at last, humour and suspicion returning in tandem, and the Knight gazes between their cocktails as if he's seeing them for the first time in his life. "Well," he says. "Mine is made out of a sea breeze, and yours is... something involving rabbits." As per the names of their cocktails, naturally.

"No, but I think yours has amaretto and vanilla... and mine might have cranberries, but that's a very wild guess." Smirking at the frozen berries in the icecubes, Ronin shrugs like it could truly be any flavour. "I am happy to swap if you aren't happy with yours."

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

the bastion

And you should know,
I left but never lost my place

Remi snorts softly, the sound full of warmth and resigned amusement, and rolls his eyes as if to say fair enough. "Well, lucky us," he murmurs, because Flora does always seem to be conveniently catastrophic, and what would they even talk about without the ongoing drama of their firestarter daughter? Probably the weather. Or Ronin's coconut shrimp and why there isn't more of it.

As Ronin launches into his truly riveting analysis of their drinks, Remi’s expression turns skeptical, brows arching high. He tilts his head, squinting at his creamy concoction like it might reveal its secrets if he stares hard enough. "Mmmmm," he hums dryly. "Sea breeze and rabbits, I should have guessed."

Still, curiosity gets the better of him. Drawing the glass closer, he carefully lifts it, fending off a flower petal that tries to cling to his upper lip. He doesn’t seem to know—or trust—that it’s edible. But the drink itself? His frown lingers a beat too long before it smooths into reluctant approval. "It’s...actually quite good," he admits with a small nod, lifting his glass slightly in a modest and more genuine cheers before motioning toward Ronin’s. "How's yours?"

and these nights I miss you most
my heart is yours to break

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!