renegade

I swear I still believe but I don't know

It has easily been a day or more since Ronin last closed his eyes to sleep, such that even his demigodly endurance (and that updated stats list, heyooo) has reached its limit. But still - the Ark is back on Torchline's shores and their daughter is safely aboard, alive and healing, and there have been no further nasty surprises on the way back. Even so, the trajectory the Knight takes is a little shaky at best as he descends towards the deck of the Northaven, and his landing is sloppy enough to have the little houseboat rocking a bit.

"Sorry," he calls out in a voice made rough by extended flight, Ronin shrugging away his wings to avoid having them drag on the ground behind him as he heads inside. "Remi? I'm home." A redundant remark, yes, but whatever. Raking his fingers through wind-tossed hair and pausing to press the heels of his palms against his eyes as if to relish the few seconds of darkness, Ronin is trying to kick off his shoes at the same time as he's shrugging out of his coat, and he's got about ten seconds, give or take, before one of the tasks causes him to trip and fall.

the white knight

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

Ronin will hardly be able to begin shucking off his clothes before he's tangled in a grip that consists of two arms, two wings, and several tentacles.

Having been out pulling apart ghostwhales as if they were nothing more than the carcass of a roasted chicken, the second Remi had felt Ronin's mind begin to tease against their bond he'd immediately surfaced, shed his tentacles, and forced himself into the air. Still soaked but doubting if either of them would care, Remi held the Knight close against him, his heart on some runaway rhythm as it tried both to skip a beat in relief to see Ronin while also wanting to sound out a war drum.

At first the Bastion could find no words to speak as various thoughts fought to be the first off of his tongue—was Flora safe? Was Ronin alright? Was Jack alive? Were they going to Starfall now? Was Ronin hungry?—such that he could do little more than breathe in the salty scent of adrenaline and exhaustion that wafted off of Ronin as he buried his face in the cook of his husband'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

"Hn-- oh. Hey." Ronin's smile is tired and doesn't reach his eyes, but the way his arms slip around the Bastion to hold him is entirely genuine. Uncaring that the other man is soaking wet, the Knight takes a second or two just to stand with Remi, nosing into his damp curls and trusting him to keep them both steady on their feet. "The Ark is back in Kaiholo. Jack and Flora are both on it, safe." Unless something horrific had happened in the sparse few hours since he'd left them, in which case it might be better for Ronin not to find out just yet.

Letting out a shuddering sigh and ignoring the strange, numb sensation in his fingers and toes, Ronin does at least have to address the staying standing part of his welcome home, his hands gliding down the length of Remi's back as if down a well-travelled road. "Do you mind if we talk in bed? Or even just at the table? I'm a bit dizzy," he admits.

the white knight

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

They might have flown halfway across the world to save their daughter (with Ronin having made the journey twice), but standing with his husband in his arms (wings and tentacles), Remi can hardly find the space to care about anything other than Ronin. "I thought I'd go crazy without you here." He mumbles into the crook of the other man's neck. While it made significantly more sense given Ronin's abilities for him to be the one to fly Flora back to the Greatwood and then accompany the Ark to Torchline, it had been torture for the Bastion to have to endure the following few days on his own with only thoughts of Flora's lifeless body huddled over Jack's to keep him company.

"Bed it is. Or we can sit in the shower?" With the water on it might help wash away some of the sting from Ronin's journey. Whatever they did, Remi had no intention of releasing the Knight for a second, though he did retract his tentacles and roll his shoulders to draw his wings into his back again so that the pair could move around the houseboat more easily.

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

"I'm pretty sure I did go crazy without you," Ronin says softly, the admission easily made within these four walls, and it's an effort of will for the Knight to continue to hold himself tense from the journey and the stress of it; the second he relaxes, he thinks he'll probably topple over. "My kingdom for a bath," he says with a tired and rumbling laugh, though of course the houseboat doesn't exactly offer the space for such things. "The shower will do for now. I want to go to the hotsprings before the season is over, though."

Stepping closer if anything as Remi sheds wings and tentacles, Ronin's arms wind around him all the more tightly for a moment, even if they've just agreed to move into the bathroom. "I really missed you," he whispers. "Everything is fucked up again, and I just wanted to be home." The Family and the repercussions of what had happened to Flora; Sunjata's infection; getting the word out about Pierce and Wilde's Rapier - the world hasn't stopped throwing things at them for a hot second, it feels.

the white knight

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

With a soft laugh, Remi can only imagine what lengths Ronin went to in an effort to keep himself sane while he was away, though the Bastion probably had a better idea than most the sort of violence the Knight was capable of in Leafchange. "Well, your kingdom is not worth much these days as it's mostly just this houseboat, but I'm sure we can make it work." He chuckles back, straightening only enough to took a proper look at Ronin.

Lines of weariness had etched themselves so deeply beside the Knight's eyes that he almost looked as though he'd been carved out of some impossibly tan bit of stone rather than flesh and bone. For a wonderfully naive moment, Remi had forgotten all about the conversation they'd had earlier in the season with Deimos and nearly asked Ronin if he meant Frey's Breath before catching himself and nodding. "You don't...you don't think Sunjata knew, do you?"

None of them had any idea what being infected actually entailed, but if the Flood had known? If he'd even suspected? Feathers snarled through Remi's curls at the thought, his chest and stomach tensing against the immediate desire to go after Sunjata right then and there. Swallowing hard and forcing himself to see the blue of his husband's eyes rather than the film of red currently settling over his mind, the Bastion exhales a shivery breath. "I know," he agrees, brushing the tip of his nose against Ronin's before starting the process of inching them toward the bathroom.

"But you're home now." Sadly he couldn't say that it would stay that way for long, not if Ronin wanted to head to Halo so quickly, but gods be damned if he wasn't going to make the most of what time they did have.

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

"This houseboat is as much of a kingdom as anyone ought to want," Ronin says haughtily, his brows furrowing; it's at least worth a bath, in his humble opinion, not least because Remi (a treasure) lives there. Still, with every intention of making it work, the Knight also straightens up as best he can, peering across at his husband through tired blue eyes. After they go to Halo to cure Sunjata, he might just demand an hour or two to soak himself in the springs and take advantage of their healing properties.

As for whether the Flood knew, Ronin's jaw feathers hard enough to make his teeth creak, and he reaches out instinctively to smooth his fingers through the feathers that sprout in Remi's curls. "I don't know," he admits softly, stepping back enough to fumble his shirt over his head and unbutton his pants. "But I'll find out on the way up there." One way or another. Kissing the tip of Remi's nose, Ronin stiffly turns to make his unsteady way to the shower, nodding to the other man.

"I am home now," he agrees wearing, rubbing at his shoulder and reaching out to turn the shower on the moment he's in the bathroom.

the white knight

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

"And yet here you are, willing to give it up for some warm water that's going to be filthy by the time you're done with it." Remi counters with a sly smile. One day when this war was behind them, perhaps he and Ronin would be able to find the time to quest for some sort of ever-hot stone so that they could turn small sections around the Northaven into a giant hottub, rather than having to quest for ways to keep their family safe from The Family.

Leaning into his husband's touch, Remi certainly doesn't envy the duplicity Ronin will have to employ to try and both get information out of Sunjata while keeping him ignorant of the Knight's plan, but then, there was a reason neither he nor Deimos had argued when Ronin had suggested himself for the job.

Shrugging out of his shirt and then kicking shut the door behind them in order to let the steam from the shower begin to build, Remi reaches out to (helpfully) begin to unbutton his husband's pants and remove his belt. "Did you have any trouble on the way home?"

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

"Ah, yes, but it will be the best warm water for the time I'm in it," Ronin says with a decadent sigh, more than content to be shut in their soon-to-be steam room while his husband undresses him. (Who wouldn't, honestly?) Helping to shimmy out of his pants while continuing to work at the knot in his shoulder, eventually Ronin requires his hands for balance, steadying himself against Remi to step out of the last of his clothes and leaning in for a quick kiss that's no less passionate for its brevity.

"No trouble that I didn't cause myself," he admits; between swooping down to steal sharks from the shallows and tumbling through the air currents overhead, he'd certainly been a warning in and of himself to anyone who dared approach The Ark. "We spent a little time in the Spillwave, then headed straight south," he continues, ambling into the shower and spending a few blissful moments with his hands pressed to the wall, letting the hot water pound onto his neck and back.

the white knight

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

Sighing sharply against the feel of Ronin's lips against his own, despite having not had to endure the strain of flying thousands of miles over the past few days, it was Remi's turn to experience a sudden bout of dizziness. "Gods I missed you." He mumbles, his eyes remaining closed for just a second or two longer in order for his mind to hold onto the sensation for as long as possible. Smiling a touch boyishly, Remi sheds the remainder of his clothes as well with far more haste and far less care than he'd done for Ronin.

'The Spillwave?' Ronin will hear the frown in his husband's words as much as feel his confusion through the bond as he steps into the shower behind the Knight. On any other day he'd likely have made some comment about the position Ronin immediately placed himself in (or would have simply taken advantage of it), but today the Bastion simply places his palms against the thick muscles lining the Knight's neck in order to begin to slowly release the tension tightly bunched up there. "Why north?"

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

"Not as much as I missed you," Ronin promises, his voice hinting towards something dark and possessive that he'd absolutely have capitalised on were it not for his bone deep exhaustion. Speaking of which, it's a miracle he stays on his feet as the heat from the water starts to sink into his skin, the Knight hiccuping in a sharp breath to feel skilled hands suddenly pressing against muscles so tight as to be painfully sore. Their bond buzzes with a mix of ???? and don't you dare stop, such that it takes a moment or so for Ronin to remember that Remi has spoken to him.

"Mm, yeah. I don't know why - I s'pose they wanted to be out of the Greatwood and it was the closest open water?" Ronin hadn't asked, to be honest, though if he thinks about it, he can't blame Jack nor Flora for wanting to put the forest behind them even if they couldn't sail a long haul journey just yet. "We were only there for a bit. The Ark touched down in the waves and just anchored there." All of which to say that nothing exciting had happened, which had been equal parts relieving and frustrating for him at the time.

the white knight

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

The feeling through the bond is a familiar one, not terribly unlike the sensation that often accompanies the shimmering seconds before Ronin climaxes, such that Remi is well schooled in not stopping. Leaning forward to press a kiss between his husband's shoulder blades, the Bastion turns to block the water for just a moment as his grip relaxes. "Sit," he suggests softly, waiting for Ronin to do so before adjusting the shower so that what was meant to be a way of relaxing wouldn't turn into an exercise in being waterboarded.

If he thought hard enough about it Remi would probably be able to understand why a man like Jack would want the open sea around him, but given that almost the entirety of his world had been reduced to the man sitting next to him, the Bastion can only shrug at Ronin's explanation. "Did he die protecting Flora, do you think?" Ruffling a hand through his wet curls, Remi gestures for Ronin to turn so that he could continue to loosen the knots in the Knight's back. "Or...did he just happen to die as well, do you think?"

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

Humming out a sound that toes the line between pleasure and pain as he feels one of the knots in his shoulders release under Remi's touch, Ronin huffs out a sigh of relief and sits all too willingly on the floor of the shower. Tipping his head forward, his dark hair plastered to his face, he closes his eyes despite the Bastion kindly adjusting the flow of the water. "I really don't know," he says of the captain, turning as instructed and frowning as he tries to make himself think of those awful few moments in the woods when he'd found them.

"He looked as if he'd been skewered a few times by that sword." Enough that it hadn't automatically killed him with its magic, it seemed, judging as well by the amount of blood that had been soaking into the earth. "I'd say to ask Flora, but she'd probably lie and say yes whatever actually happened." The other option, of course, is to ask Jack directly, but if Flora is likely to lie about it, then Jack would have to tell the truth accidentally in comparison.

the white knight

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

Exhaling an uneasy breath in an effort to keep his ministrations on the appropriate side of demigod strength and not letting his fingers grow talons in response to the thoughts swirling uneasily around in his mind, Remi bites at the inside of his cheek as he nods silently to himself. "I suppose the fact that he didn't run away...at least it doesn't seem like he did, means something." Of course it was still possible that where they found Jack and Flora wasn't where the captain had started out and that he had run, but...well, if Remi was being more tolerant than he currently felt like, he'd realize that most weren't willing to die for someone they were just dating, and maybe especially for someone who would all but certainly be brought back from the dead anyway.

"Flora dying aside, this has added a wrinkle to how things were going with Jack that I'm not terribly excited to have to deal with." He grumbles as he sweeps his palms from the base of Ronin's neck and out across his shoulders, as if to encourage the tension to follow the lines of pressure and simply be washed away by the warmth water.

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