[SE] the man who has everything

RONIN

the supernova

light is easy to love.

"You've probably already guessed where we're going by now," Ronin is saying to his husband with a smile in his voice and almost an apology on his lips for not being able to arrange the surprise as well as Remi had. "And I know it's not painting with our bodies on a canvas, but..."

Stopping just before the twinkling lights of the House of Midnight - made all the more picturesque (or suggestive, depending on your worldview) at Longnight, Ronin holds his hand out in a ta daaaa sort of gesture.

"I booked a room for the both of us," he says. "...If that wasn't obvious already. The rooms here are blessed by Frey, and they change to whatever suits their occupants the most. And so I thought you could go in first, and we'd spend the night however you most want to."

Whether that's at a tea party in the clouds or fucking against the side of a tree in the Greatwood, Ronin has no expectations other than to give Remi all he desires.

show me your darkness.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Indeed Remi did have some idea where it was they were heading, there we're only so many places of interest in Kings End afterall, but still, he was somewhat skeptical his husband was bringing him to this of all places, given who ran it. Though both he and Ronin had smoothed down the barbs that once bristled between them and the Flood, the Bastion couldn't recall a time that the Knight had so much as spoken to Hotaru since the twins has grown up. That they were entering a world as marked by her choices as Sunjata's, seemed...well, it certainly made Remi question if that's where they were actually headed.

"Well I should hope so." Raising an eyebrow as if to suggest they might do anything other than spend the night in the same room, Remi's smile grows instantly relieved as Ronin explains his intentions. "You know," he begins, laughing under his breath as a coral blush dusts his cheeks. "I did wonder if you were going to suggest we not be alone." He admits a touch bashfully. Why else go to a brothel all the way in King's End when they had a perfectly good bed at home? "But if it is about the room.." with a sly smile, Remi reaches out to loop his arms around his husband's neck.

"You really do always have the best surprises."

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

RONIN

the white knight

light is easy to love.

Ronin, in his naïveté, wishing only to please his husband, has not remotely considered the implications of booking a room in a brothel until Remi makes mention of it, and the Knight instantly flushes all the way to the tips of his ears. ”Oh gods no,” he blurts, laughing, though the beginnings of unless that’s what you want? are already on his tongue, warded off only by the feel of strong arms looping around his neck.

Breathing a sigh of relief that has his shoulders relaxing beneath Remi’s grip, he draws the Bastion close against his chest and leans in to press a chaste and lingering kiss against the corner of his mouth. ”At least it was received positively, even with the initial confusion.” He grins. ”Come on.”

Keeping an arm securely around Remi’s waist as they meander up to the entrance of the House of Midnight, the two men will be greeted by the sort of plush luxury and deep colours almost typical of the Flood, though of course Ronin is only really interested in the room he’s booked. Leaning in to have a brief conversation with the buxom young woman who comes to greet them, it isn’t long before they are led down a warmly lit corridor, pausing before a gilded door.

Thanking the woman and accepting a key, Ronin immediately offers it out to Remi. ”Whatever you want, remember?”

show me your darkness.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

In the warmth of the glow cast by the House of Midnight, Ronin's eyes were the most peculiar shade of sun-fae blue, such that Remi found it utterly impossible to conceive how he might have eyes for anyone else before memorizing the complexity of this new shade. Letting his arms tighten as Ronin draws near, it's with a quiet thrill that blooms in his belly before descending towards his toes that the Bastion sips in a small breath as Ronin's lips land left of centre.

Having never been to the House of Midnight before, Remi had high expectations of what the brothel might have to offer, created and run by two sex demigods as it was. Even so, his attention was only briefly captured by the jewel tones and plush surfaces before being unanimously directed back towards the Knight as he checked them in.

Following silently, if only because his mind was lost in the endless possibility afforded to him by the rooms, as they stopped outside, Remi smiled crookedly and nodded. "Do you think you could go and get us a bottle of something to drink while I work on the inside?" That Ronin might have already taken this into account when he'd booked the room was irrelevant to what the Bastion had in mind, needing only for the Knight to disappear while he fussed with the details.

"And maybe a loaf of bread? Nothing fancy. It does not even have to be sliced."

So saying, when Ronin returned he'd find the door ajar, and intentionally so, though not simply to allow the Knight in. Within he'd see a room that was perhaps slightly smaller than the one he'd actually booked: on the left was a kitchenette which was woefully understocked, with the majority of the usually appliances and novelties notably absent. Opposite was a mattress tucked away and leaning against the wall to make more room for a table which was littered with inventions in various states.of completion. Dull light filtered through a window that was as grimy as it was poorly built, and though in fact the door was in working order, as Ronin closed it behind him he'd no doubt feel the way the lock refused to click shut.

In the process of shifting things about to make room for them to sit, as Ronin enters, the Bastion straightens. A touch flushed and not entirely able to meet his husband's gaze but for the details he kept checking were accurate, eventually he did look up, his lips twisted into a boyish smile.

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

RONIN

the white knight

light is easy to love.

”Of course I can,” Ronin says with a warm smile, though before leaving he of course snags his husband’s hand - the one not occupied with the key - to press a kiss to the back of his palm. Leaving that as his parting goodbye, the Knight disappears to fetch the items Remi has requested. And he isn’t all that long, though hopefully long enough for the other man to be satisfied with the details of the room he’s chosen. Seeing the door ajar, Ronin offers a gentle knock before stepping in, and the greeting he’s been about to call out dies on his tongue.

Utterly silenced by nostalgia and surprise, Ronin is barely cognizant of the bottle in one hand or the paper-wrapped loaf in the other, setting both down on the table and having to move various trinkets and inventions out of the way. ”Remi, this is…” But of course Remi knows exactly what it is, given that he’s the one who has just pulled it from his imagination.

Unable to wipe the grin off his face, it almost feels wrong or rebellious to close the distance between the two of them so casually - which he imagines is half the point. ”I don’t have to get stabbed this time do I?” he jokes, reaching out to cup his husband’s cheeks and run his fingers through his curls, feeling nerves and butterflies fight for dominance in the pit of his stomach.

show me your darkness.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Wondering if the request for bread might have tipped Ronin off as to what he had in mind, Remi was silently - though perhaps not subtly - thrilled to watch his husband's reaction melt from surprised to something he hoped was delight. "Small." The Bastion supplies with a laugh before stepping forward.

"It was either this, or the Guildhall. I could not decide between the night you first kissed me on the kitchen floor, or our wedding night." In dreams, though, they'd revisited that chapter of their lives countless times, but never before had they come back here. Not that Remi could recall, anyway, which wasn't necessarily saying much. "Wh-? No of course you do." Affectionately rolling his eyes, as Ronin's fingers comb through his curls, Remi's own fit around the Knight's waist, unconsciously brushing against the place said stabbing had occured.

"In dreams we always said it felt different because it was not real, and though I am sure I could imagine us into exactly the same places..." Shrugging, Remi takes a step forward to press himself against the Knight's chest. "Lately I have just been missing the simple things, I suppose. I hope that is alright." No doubt it would be, but Remi would happily imagine them into a weightless canopy of butterflies of that was what Ronin preferred.

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

RONIN

the white knight

light is easy to love.

”Ah, I do? I should have known.” Grinning and welcoming Remi further into his arms as he steps closer, Ronin can’t resist glancing down at where the other man’s fingers brush against his side, as if he really might produce a knife to replicate the scar that once laid against his skin. Which, listen, in the history of the things that the Bastion has done, isn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.

But of course, as his husband mentions, this isn’t a dream, and Ronin lets greedy fingers twist carefully through the back of Remi’s curls, his other hand dropping against his lower back to clasp him closer. ”Of course that’s alright,” he says with a gentle smile. ”I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather do simple with.” This time he does punctuate the sentiment with a kiss - a proper one aimed against Remi’s lips, as scandalous as it would have been here and now.

”Imagine if we’d been able to do this then,” he whispers, eyes glittering mischievously.

show me your darkness.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

"You know I am a stickler for details." Remi replies, shrugging apologetically as if he indeed meant to plunge a dagger into his husband's side merely for the sake of authenticity.

Kissing Ronin slowly, chastely, as if it really was the sort of kiss they might have once had in this very room, the Bastion blushes furiously as they part, his eyes dropping to Ronin's shoulder. "I imagine it more often than I care to admit." Remi admits, huffing laughter under his breath. "And while I never miss being home, sometimes I think I miss the things that might have happened there." It was an absurd thing to say, and immediately the Bastion rolled his eyes at his own suggestion. "Or at least, when I ignore the fact that we would never have been allowed to be together, I think about what moments like this could have been like."

Moments which, if having been given enough time, might have seen the pair sharing more than just a slice of bread in Remi's little apartment. Where he might not have erupted into a ball of feathers at the mere suggestion of being touched, but could have instead wedged his broken door closed behind them and let his hands and tongue break each and everyone one of Northaven's strict rules.

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

RONIN

the white knight

light is easy to love.

Smiling against lips that refuse to be anything but chaste, Ronin feels warmth kindle in every place they touch, the Knight letting gentle fingers stroke across Remi's lower back until they part from one another enough to speak. "Oh?" He grins, brushing his lips across the other man's stubbled cheek and shifting his hand to catch hold of Remi's, bringing it towards his waiting mouth for another kiss. "I think I understand what you mean. The places we could have bumped into each other as the men we were back then."

Not that they are any less absurd as the men they are now, but two demigods joined by love and destiny (corny as it sounds) is still much different to a captain of training and a man who could make explosives.

"Go on then," he invites, squeezing the Bastion's fingers and gesturing to the table where he's set down the bread and wine. "If we had a do over - what could this moment have been?"

show me your darkness.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Remi's smile is slow at first as he looks toward the little table, his sea-glass stare lingering on nothing in particular and yet taking in the various projects that he'd been working on, once upon a time. "Well.." Grinning slyly, the Bastion considers. "First I would have at least offered you some butter or jam for the bread." He explains as he releases his husband's hand so that he could sit down at the opposite side of the table. "At the time I was so hopelessly awkward that I couldn't even think past the fact that you were sitting in my apartment, much less try to be a good host." So saying, Remi reaches over his shoulder where, wouldn't you know it, a small jar of raspberry jam has appeared. Inkwelllll

"Even if I couldn't have reached out for your hand or dared to kiss you, at the very least I'd have tried to maintain eye contact with you without melting into a puddle. Gods—" Lifting his chin, the Bastion laughs warmly at the memory of the man he used to be. "—when you were stabbed, I'm sure I was far more concerned with the implications of touching you the way I was rather than getting you to someone who get help."

Straightening, Remi reached for the bottle of wine and the two little mismatched cups set already on the table. "Anyway, I'd have poured us each a glass of wine and toasted to you as the captain of training. I'd have been suave and far easier to talk to then I actually was back then, suggesting all sorts of interesting inventions that you might use with your trainees all so that we could spend more time together." Winking, he poured them each a glass.

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

RONIN

the white knight

light is easy to love.

"And as a blueblood, I would have graciously accepted, regardless of whose apartment I found myself in." Grinning and sinking down into the seat opposite Remi, the Knight rests a casual arm on the table as if they really might be meeting across it for the first time. The difference, of course, is that - criminality of it aside - Ronin is as comfortable in himself now as he had been back then, but perhaps he'd have been able to read into the Bastion's feelings a little more if the other man's confidence had been what it is now.

"If it helps the past-you any, I'm sure the implications of not touching me to help me were worse." He chuckles. "But then again, perhaps I'm biased given that I was the one who got stabbed." His mind had been, understandably, on stopping his insides from trying to escape to the outside. Still, even having an insight into the state of his husband's mind at that time... it has the slant of Ronin's smile growing warmer, the Knight quietly charmed by the knowledge.

Taking up his glass once Remi has poured the wine, he reaches out to clink it gently against the Bastion's. "You say that, but I recall you being very easy to talk to back then. Otherwise how would we have ever continued to work together?" Remi's inventions had been used on more than one occasion for Ronin's training sessions, after all.

show me your darkness.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Laughing, Remi nods. "That's just the risk you take when coming to my part of town." The Bastion declares, bouncing his eyebrows as if that was somehow a point of pride. The strangest part of it all, thinking back, was how Remi had been able to remain so utterly gentle despite the constant low-level violence that swanned through his neighbourhood. Then again, having very little of value (or rather, very little of value to other people), he'd never really had much to fear.

Returning the gesture with a lopsided smile, Remi helps himself to a sip—it's far better than anything he'd ever consumed inside of his little apartment, but never mind—before letting his head loll to the side thoughtfully. "If I didn't have to look at you, I found it easier. If we were just walking somewhere, not too close together of course, and speaking about the work we were doing?" Remi shrugged. "That I could do. Gods help me though if you'd ever asked me to hang out." Said in the same way one might refer to the creature from a ghost story, the Bastion widens his eyes theatrically before hiding another grin behind his cup.

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

RONIN

the white knight

light is easy to love.

"As a captain of training and a Storm Guard, I think you'll find I had very little choice but to go to all parts of town," Ronin says with a lopsided smile, joining his husband in a healthy sip of (yes, very good) wine and another glance around the room from Remi's past life. 

"Perhaps we might have met another way, then, if not on the beach that day?" Still unable not to grin about it, Ronin shrugs his shoulders. "You might have run into me on a patrol, or standing guard outside some boring post. I bet you'd never have thought of me twice if you hadn't seen me naked at a first glance."

And if that's the case, Ronin will forever decide to swim naked, to cement the fact that it had caused the initial flare of interest from his then-future husband.

"Didn't I ever ask you to hang out?" He barks out a laugh, taking another sip of wine. "Gods, that was rude of me. I'll have to ask you now."

show me your darkness.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Nearly choking into his wine at the memory, even after all these years that one in particular could unravel him in an instant, Remi wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and shot his husband a wry look. "Mm, that's a good point." The Bastion concedes, raising an eyebrow. "You are quite dull with your clothes on." Laughing warmly at that, Remi took it upon himself to refill their cups before leaning back in his chair.

"You didn't, no." Clucking under his tongue and sighing as if to communicate that the damage of that particular oversight was very much done already, Remi's expression grew suddenly interested.

"Very rude." He agrees. "Well, go on then." Clearing his throat, Remi tried to look appropriately nervous as he'd have done back then. All he could muster was a crooked smile and eyes that jumped from Ronin's shoulder to his hands and then back again.

idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword