Been here the whole time

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book There’d been something that Loren had been putting off for far too long. He didn’t really have a good reason for it: maybe he could blame the insanity of being transported to this new world, maybe he could blame being busy making sure everything was safe and secure, but mostly it was because he was scared. Scared that everything that he and Remi had done and experienced was a dream, that his completely muddled memories—since there were gaps and problems with it apparently—has constructed his wildest fantasies coming true as a way to cope with all the trauma he’d been through. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d been betrayed by both himself and the world. So he’d seen Remi in public, but not in private; he’d allowed himself to get swept up in the neverending Launceleyn family drama; he’d lost himself in trying to explore this world and rebuild what they’d lost, all in an effort to avoid confronting the possibility that his dream was a nightmare just waiting for him to hope. But he could only put off seeing the other man for so long before it felt like his soul might break. So, without allowing himself to think about it too hard (because if he thought about it he’d chicken out) he’d allowed his feet to follow his heart. Of course, not thinking meant that he didn’t have a plan: he wandered the ruins for who knew how long before realizing that hopefully stumbling across the alchemist in a vain attempt at finding answers was dumb. So—as loathe as he was to broach this topic for all the fears he’d listed above—he finally started asking around. It took a while, but eventually he managed to figure out that Remi had actually managed to open a shop. While Loren was happy for his...lover? friend with benefits? who even knew anymore? it was almost immediately supplanted by a nearly crippling anxiety that the other man had moved on and left Loren behind. It wouldn’t be the first time, and if it was true, it probably wouldn’t be the last. Arriving at the spot, he hesitated for a long moment before entering. Immediately his eyes found the familiar figure and his breath caught in his throat: Remi was even more attractive than Loren remembered. And, thank all that is holy, they were alone. ”Remi I...I…” Words failed him as his arms rose and fell and his fingers grasped the air as if they could catch his scattered thoughts. This wouldn’t do. Their first private meeting in this world couldn’t have Remi thinking Loren’s brains had been scrambled in the transition. Maybe that was why Loren found himself striding towards the other man—heedless of what the alchemist might be working on for once—so the former librarian could run his hands through Remi’s soft curls and pull the alchemist in for a hungry and much needed and awaited kiss. Hopefully they wouldn't be interrupted this time.

With Deimos and Isla's help, Remi's shop had come together remarkably well. There had been that incident with the echo-turned-lobster that had taken a bit of time to fix up (repairing the counter had been remarkably easy given his new abilities), and while Remi had never had a shop before and had no real goal at which to aim, he was quite pleased with the progress he'd made. The atmosphere was cozily cluttered, and though Remi knew where and what everything was, to anyone else the shelves and racks probably looked cluttered with all sorts of miscellaneous and ramshackle inventions and half-finished projects. Behind the counter, Remi had an array of different coloured blue berries. They possessed various shades and hues and came in a number of different sizes, hailing from a plethora of different plants. Crushing them and adding various additives, it was clear by the numerous smears of colour on the parchment before the alchemist that he was trying to create one shade in particular. One shade that he couldn't seem to get right. Hearing the bell tinkle gently as the door was opened, Remi sighed inwardly as he bit the inside of his lip. There was probably a psychological reason that Remi was finding that he continued to fail in his efforts to recreate the particular blue of Loren's eyes, but of course such theorizing was far from the alchemist's wheelhouse. "I will be with you in just a moment." Remi called over his shoulder, frowning as he looked down at the different samples and deciding that once again, he'd missed the mark. Turning his head towards the door, now it was Remi's turn to freeze just as the Launceleyn had during their last proper meeting. A shiver tore through Remi's body despite the relative warmth of the room in which they stood, just as heat flooded his face. He'd been longing and looking for Loren since they'd all arrived, and though Ronin's report of the librarian indicated that Loren was indeed out and about, the decided lack of his presence had weighed on the alchemist's mind every day. All the insecurities and worries and wonderings were erased by the mere presence of the Launceleyn. "Loren." The alchemist said with confident adoration even as the magician fumbled for words. As Loren approached, for a moment the alchemist hesitated, but only because his hands were covered in paint. Sliding around from behind the counter, Remi faltered for just a second before wiping a brilliant streak of blue on his white shirt (why the alchemist continued to wear light colours despite how often he got them dirty was still a mystery). The distance between them wouldn't have to just be broached by Loren alone, as Remi immediately moved to help force away all that stood between them. As the magician's hand reached for Remi so too did the alchemist reach for Loren. He wanted to ask the man a thousand questions—where had he been? was he alright? had it been alright that Remi had said he loved him?—but the feeling of Loren's lips against his forced those thoughts fully and completely to the back of his mind. He loved Loren and he had missed Loren, but now with the magician so close and all that Remi had been repressing for long within reach once again, he just wanted Loren. With knees which were beginning to feel weak Remi's hands dropped to Loren's waist to pull him closer as his moans against the Launceleyn's lips belayed his sense of need. remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence

Loren didn’t mind the paint in the slightest. Actually it was kind of cute: Remi always had a attractively dishevelled look to him, like the mad alchemist he was, and so this look suited him. Then again, Loren was so starved for affection and for the chance to actually, well, be with someone in an almost public way that he would’ve ignored anything short of a mortal wound. Okay, maybe if Remi had been bleeding at all Loren would’ve insisted the alchemist get treated—or treated it himself, if the injury had been minor enough and his paltry skills at restoration had remained intact (note to self: systematically test changes in magic at some point)—but paint was a harmless liquid. Besides, Loren was thirsty and hungry at the same time for the taste of the other man. After all, the brief time they’d actually spent together, physically, had been rudely interrupted by their transportation to this world; it had let him feeling weirdly empty and entirely disatisfied. While they probably couldn’t pick up exactly where they left off, Loren was more than willing to try. At the very least, it seemed that Remi still felt this was worth a try. And the former librarian felt the same way. Perhaps even more than a try: Loren was committed to pursuing this for as long as he could. As their lips crashed together in a tangle of tongues and Remi’s hands fell to his hips, Loren groaned with need. Already, he was lost in a sea of pleasure and they’d just gotten started. Once they got to where Loren fully intended to take them—where he’d wanted to take them last time before they were stopped by forces beyond their control—he couldn’t imagine what it would feel like. Beyond good, of course. Though Loren was nearly desperate with need, he was also aware (in the small and rapidly shrinking sliver of his mind as his blood rushed elsewhere that was capable of conscious thought) that this was still, presumably, Remi’s first time. The Launceleyn could well remember his first time, since it hadn’t been that long ago. It had been painful, at first, but worth it in the end. And he wanted that for Remi too. Growling now with impatience, Loren kept one hand in Remi’s almost too luxurious hair—and being able to freely touch it filled the former duke with a thrill—as the other snaked around the other man’s lower back to tug the two of them closer. For just a brief moment Loren wanted their bodies to be pressed together, to feel the full length of Remi and for Remi to feel the full length of Loren. Even with just this brief amount of contact, it would be clear to the other man that the Launceleyn was ready and literally up for more. That done, he started pawing at the bottom of the alchemist’s shirt, trying to pull it off one-handed so he could continue deepening the kiss. They should probably surface for air (or talk, or something) but Loren was reluctant to stop lest they not be able to continue. Again. However, it made the removal of clothing quite difficult, since they were so close and he wasn’t willing to create enough distance to take off shirts and drop trousers just yet. LOREN Not quite an open book

Remi felt desperate. Desperate to hold onto what had been in and out of his reach for the past few weeks (had it been weeks? It was so hard to say given all that had transpired). Remi's hands wound possessively around Loren, drawing him near and refusing to give up so much as an inch. He'd let the magician go too many times and was not eager on making that mistake ever again. But he was also desperate to know and to have and to hold and though his love for the Launceleyn was unconditional and without end, Remi too felt the same hostility towards time and the potential for interruptions. Perhaps admitting his feelings for Loren should have been the culmination of all of this, and yet it wasn't. It wasn't just about the sex of course, but in this moment, for Remi at least, he needed this in a way which was replete with so much more significance than he could give voice to. He needed it to happen so that it had happened. So that if nothing else, at least something shared would be established between the two. Both melting and stiffening in obvious ways beneath Loren's roaming hand, as all conceivable space was eliminated between them, Remi gasped, sucking the air from Loren's mouth and releasing it again in a determined and shaky pant. With a low growl to match Loren's own, Remi tightened his grip of Loren's hip and forced himself back slightly. Like their last rendezvous it was now Remi's turn to consider potential patrons and what that meant for what was about to happen. There wasn't sound to consider (not really, especially with all of Tristan's clanging and banging going on next-door), but there was no lock on the front door either; no closed sign. With hands the belayed none of Remi's internal frenzy, he grabbed the bottom of Loren's shirt and moved to swiftly pull it over the man's head, tracing a line of kisses and tugs of his teeth as the flesh of his chest was revealed. Once again Remi was reminded to ask the Launceleyn about the extensive scarring on his body, but he only cared about that information tangentially just now. He should have been slowly and more devoted to the revealed landscape of Loren's body, but there was still so much clothing between them and what felt like so little time. "Come." Remi whispered, a sliver of a smile on his face, but mostly his expression was one of unquenched desire and rapt determination. The innuendo was there of course, but the alchemist clearly didn't mean the wordplay in passing. Turning and quickly removing his own shirt (which would reveal a number of still-healing wounds that were quite clearly from an animal's claws over his arms and back), Remi would grab Loren's hand and direct him into the smallish room at the back of the shop. It wasn't large by any means, but it would do. Better still, it had a door. Not one which locked, but it was a barrier nonetheless. remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence

As the other man first matched Loren’s passion with the alchemist’s own—and then did one better by pulling the Launceleyn’s shirt off and kissing down the former duke’s body—Loren felt his concerns melt away. This was it. This was finally happening, and this time it seemed neither of them would brook any interruptions. If anyone came through that door right now, he would summon something to scare them off; if they roof fell, he shield them and they’d relocate; if some bolt of divine intervention tried to strike them down, he would fight it with every fiber of his being. It had been a long time coming. And Loren had every intention of coming many times. If Remi had asked for a lock or a closed sign (or anything, really) Loren would’ve provided it, paltry though his skills at magic were in this world and difficult as it would’ve been to concentrate when he finally (FINALLY) had Remi in his arms. Indeed, the alchemist didn’t need to ask twice: the former librarian eagerly followed as the other man tugged the Launceleyn’s hand and led them deeper into the shop. Almost, Loren couldn’t wait: even just this small delay was agony after all they’d been through. However, it seemed Remi knew what he was doing. Besides, Loren trusted the other man implicitly. Still, as soon as the door shut behind them, Loren pulled at the other man insistently—one might even say urgently—trying to pull Remi back into him. Even being apart for that short a time (though their hands had remained linked, the Launceleyn had made sure of that) had been too much. Uncaring of the wood of the door, Loren let himself willingly be trapped against it. When Remi pulled off his own shirt, the former duke hissed in sympathy and concern at the wounds there; instinctively, he raised his hands, rested them on the now bare chest in front of him, and poured his magic into the other man, doing what little he could to heal them. While Loren had been bad at restoration, even back in Northaven, he couldn’t help himself from doing what he could. Besides, it cost him little and while Remi didn’t seem to be in much pain, Loren couldn’t bear to think of the alchemist hurting. Moreover, the healthier they both were, the more enjoyable this would be for both of them. That task done, what little he could to heal, Loren let his hands slide down the other man’s body, nails raking lightly at the pale and exposed skin there. It was delicious, and the librarian kissed the alchemist’s lips fevently for a moment, before beginning to kiss his way down the other man’s neck and then chest, following the path his hands had taken just a few seconds ago. He paused at Remi’s nipples, kissing and lightly nipping at them, making them as hard as certain parts of Loren already were. Simultaneously, his hands were at work: they’d come to the other man’s trouser’s and were rapidly unfastestening them, yanking at the ties to get them out of the way as quickly as possible. Once that was done, the former librarian pulled the trousers and underwear down, exposing Remi’s length. For just a moment, Loren looked admiringly down at the other man; then the Launcelyn resumed his downward descent with his mouth. He kissed and licked down to the belly, following the trail of hair to its inevitable conclusion. Dropping to his knees, the former duke glanced upwards at Remi, Loren’s blue eyes filled with admiration. Then, he took the other man into his mouth. LOREN Not quite an open book

Remi felt the briefest roar forming in the back of his throat; a deep rumble that reverberated through his chest. Indeed, the more Loren's affections increased within him his more primary urges, the more forefront his alter-ego wanted to be. Even so, not even the predator could pull Remi's mind from its narrow focus. The alchemist was all-consumed in this moment which fate had waylaid for far too long. Sandwiching Loren between the door and his body, the alchemist pressed himself against the former duke, luxuriating in the thrill of Loren's skin against his own. Even as the magician took notice of his new wounds, Remi could scarcely pause to care. As Remi was forced to break away so that Loren could literally work his magic, the alchemist gave a shaky and lovingly frustrated sigh. "I am fine." Remi assured (he wasn't, the trauma of that night still haunted him quite frequently), but with Loren within his grasp it felt like it might be true. As Loren's hands poured magic into his body, his own hands were still busy at work on the librarian's body. This was a landscape he had only begun to map, and if this meagre distance was what Loren's magic required, then Remi would make the best of it. Scouring with both his eyes and his hands, Remi inhaled sharply as he tried to draw Loren's hips back against him. He was sure Loren's back could arch enough to take it. Holding him there with one hand, the other roamed up Loren's side, his fingers pulsing as they walked their way up to oh-so gently rub against one of the Launceleyn's nipples; Remi's palm making the most delicate of rotations against the sensitive skin.   As Loren's nails raked down his sides, Remi shivered as the sensation caused goosebumps to trail behind the magician's hands. Lips against his once again, Remi thrust his hips against Loren's, happily pinning him between him between the wood of the door as well as his own, as his tongue and lips sought to greedily communicate the depth of his want and need. When Loren pulled away Remi couldn't help but gasp with delight as well as preparation for what the Launceleyn's lips and hands suggested was about to come. Indeed as Loren's lips found his nipples Remi gasped feeling his body already wanting to grow weak despite the fact that Loren's ministrations had only just begun. Moving around Loren so that it was he who could lean against the door, the alchemist swallowed and tried to take a steadying breath that only seemed to fan the kindling fire in his belly rather than dampen it slightly. Biting his lip as his gaze met Loren's, Remi tried to still the building pressure that already threatened to overwhelm him. Remi might not have been a selfish man by any means, but his body certainly had other thoughts on the matter, and delaying gratification for something better was not something it understood. Indeed as Loren's lips closed around him, the alchemist all but fell back against the door as his eyes rolled upwards and his breathing became a pant. Last time they'd not ended up this way, and now with the warmth and the wet and the pressure of Loren's lips and tongue Remi felt himself immediately spiralling far too quickly towards euphoria.  Reaching a hand down to steady himself against Loren as well as encourage, Remi tangled his fingers in the blonde of Loren's hair while his other hand clenched and unclenched at his side. "Not too—" fast but the word was cut off by a moan that started with an Lor but then dissolved into the sound made by Remi panting despite biting his lip. He wouldn't last, not at this rate, and indeed the hand on Loren's head was caught between the will of his mind and body: one wanted to encourage Loren on while the other wanted to force the Launceleyn into giving him a respite. Glancing down of course made the situation infinitely worse and despite the best intentions of his mind Remi's hips slowly started moving in tandem with Loren's rhythm. remi Trying to teach my common sense to not waver with my confidence