whiskey in the water

— we can hide in the cover of the storm

The rings in place, he had expected to remain side by side until later in the day — to go back and figure out what to do from there. But of course, Frey has other ideas. And his cheeks perhaps redden further once he realizes Frey has created a bed, created a canopy to go about it, and the guests begin to start leaving.

It’s fine, he hasn’t expected it to go absolutely stellar, has he?

He nods to Frey, steel gaze finding Phoebe’s as his hand reaches for hers, to guide her to the outdoor bedroom, sure that they’re going to have to give in. But he wants to impart his Korofi tradition still — perhaps now, while he’s in a rather good mood.

So he guides her, brushing aside the branches that drape down, and he clears his throat momentarily. “There is one more thing.” He says, pausing before reaching the bed, before giving into any of the overwhelming feelings within him.

you're the lightning, and I'll soon be gone —

SUNJATA

you're my sunshine, you're my rain,

you're all i've lost yet all i've gained

The sudden appearance of a silky soft bed amongst lush ivy and honeysuckle had not been what Phoebe expected at all. Her cheeks flushed dark red, but from the sound of things, people were leaving rather than sticking around thankfully. At Frey's quip about having one for them, she smiled, blushing deeply but nodded. Of course she would. Anything for Frey. But soon enough her hand is taken up by Jata as he leads towards the bed, feeling nervousness rise.

Sure, they'd had sex before, but a lot had changed in that time. And now he wasn't just her boyfriend but her husband.

He stopped short of the bed that looked oh so comfy though, and she looked at him with confusion. One more thing? "What do you mean?" she said, wracking her brain for what could have been forgotten, or what mattered so much to put this bit on hold for. Frey had said it all didn't matter after all, and ultimately she put her faith deeply in that.

hello darkness, goodbye light

PHOEBE

— we can hide in the cover of the storm

He’s not nervous at all, in comparison really. And when he brings Phoebe within the cover of the canopy, telling her that there’s just one more thing, he can’t help but to let his gaze linger on the soft panes of her face and the confusion that lies therein. And for a moment, he almost doesn’t want to tell her – Loren had it planned, had it figured out how they’d go about it. But it was just them now, and so he takes her hand again and pulls her to stand in front of him, gaze seeking hers out.

“There’s a Korofi custom the husband does when he marries and I wanted to add it in.” He offers, trying to convey the honesty in his gaze – that it was something he had wanted added from the beginning if they were going to go through with this. “But I need you to trust me, okay?” His voice is soft, almost like it had been before when they’d been together once before. At least, he needed her to trust him in this moment.

He inhales deeply, pausing, drawing it out because he’s not sure if she’ll just leave because of that or not. He lifts his hands to brush her hair behind her shoulders, exposing her neck and collarbones to the open air. And he goes to grab the blue cloth within his pocket, fiddling with it to open it as he prepares for it. “It’s… A backwards custom, but I promised my mother before she died that I would if I ever married. So please just wait it out, it won’t take long.” His gaze lifts to hers then and he tries to give her an encouraging smile.

And then he goes for it, his index finger of his left hand sharpening into a talon of his avian form, and he slices his right palm open just enough that some of his blood begins to pool within his cupped hand. His jaw clenches with the feeling, but he tries to encourage her enough with the smile that still hints on the edges of his lips. “I just have to put a little design on you and say something in Korofi and that’s it.” His gaze slips up to hers, ensuring that she’ll let him.

you're the lightning, and I'll soon be gone —

SUNJATA

you're my sunshine, you're my rain,

you're all i've lost yet all i've gained

Her head tilted in confusion, but she said nothing at first. If it was something he had promised his mother then she knew it must mean an awful lot to him. To tell him not to was...well it was a cruelty she didn't think she could muster at the moment, and why would she? She didn't know what it was, nor did she see a point in denying his request. So she simply nodded, standing and waiting in silence for him to do...whatever it was he had planned to do.

And then he turned a finger into a talon and sliced open his hand.

Honeyed eyes widened and she stared aghast. For a moment she wanted to question, to protest - what sort of barbaric custom was this? - but she stopped herself. She had agreed to let him do what he wished. So she bit her lip, glancing between him and his hand with confusion and worry.

hello darkness, goodbye light

PHOEBE

— we can hide in the cover of the storm

She doesn’t protest, and for that alone he could almost sigh in relief. But the blood is poking into his cupped hand, and his steel gaze lifts to meet her face, spotting the wide eyes despite the attempts he gives her that he’s fine, that it’s all fine. Regardless, he gives her a slightly smaller smile as his finger returns to normal and he dips it into the blood, gaze lifting to her neck and collarbones as he takes it and draws a small circle around one half of her neck — tracing over one collarbone, before repeating the process on the other side. Then, dipping three fingers this time, he raises them to start above her collarbone, trailing over the bone and down across it. He does the same for the other side.

Then when he’s done, he takes the blue cloth and cleans up his palm, wrapping it around to tie it tight to stop the bleeding. His gaze lifts again to the marks, lifting to her face. “Deur my bloed is jy myne van vandag af.” He hums to her, finally giving into the sensation and feeling Frey has imbued into him. His lids shudder slightly, and he lets his gaze dance between her lips and her eyes. “By my blood, you are mine from this day forth.” Comes the accented rumble, and he leans down then to give in fully, pulling her body against his, lips finding hers in a hungry kiss.

you're the lightning, and I'll soon be gone —

SUNJATA

you're my sunshine, you're my rain,

you're all i've lost yet all i've gained

Phoebe froze in absolute shock as he began to draw on her in blood of all things. She could not even comprehend the shapes he was making as her honeyed eyes stared up at him, as if the answer to make this madness logical was held somewhere in his own pale gaze. But she found nothing but concentration there, and soon he was speaking words she had no way of understanding. Fortunately, he translated for her, and when he did she shuddered.

With delight.

It sent her heart racing anew with anticipation and anxiety. His. A sense of belonging bloomed and she leaned into it as though her very survival relied on it. Her hands lifted to wrap around his neck as he pulled her close, the sudden rush mixing with the lust instilled by Frey, fingers curling into the hair at the nap of his neck. She met him with her own wanton fervor, eyes fluttering closed and more than happy to follow his will; she was his after all.

hello darkness, goodbye light

PHOEBE

— we can hide in the cover of the storm

It brings her out of some sort of shock from the symbols he’s drawn, the translation that is. And he can’t help the slight smirk that crosses when their lips meet and she becomes more animated within his touch. Invigorated by Frey and the response he now gets, he pushes back slightly against her, her fingers tangling within the base of his hair as he leans closer. But he breaks briefly, to pull away and loosen the tie around his neck and slide it off, before finding her lips again as he works to unbutton the top of his shirt.

He breaks the kiss again to trail her jaw, to her ear that he playfully nips at lightly, a partial shift to his teeth that allow for slightly sharper, longer canines than before that he’s unaware of just yet. And while it’s been awhile since they’d laid together like this, there had been a few things that had changed for him. His attuned status being one of them, probably the most important, the second being how with all his partners since, he’d been greedier, rougher, craving more. Despite it however, he lets his lips find the tender spot beneath her ear on the side of her neck, playfully biting at this as he gives up his attempt to remove his own shirt in favor for removing her gown.

There are some things she should remember about him, at least.

you're the lightning, and I'll soon be gone —

SUNJATA

you're my sunshine, you're my rain,

you're all i've lost yet all i've gained

It had been awhile, yes, but they still seemed to fall right back into place, each movement and rhythm working in harmony with the other. Her head tilted almost of its own accord, pressing up close to him as hands trailed down his chest to pick up where he left off with the buttons of his shirt. The sharpness of his teeth as they grazed her skin elicited a gasp and jerk towards him, eyes fluttering open briefly. She had forgotten for a moment that he was now Attuned, and apparently that came with added perks.

Or points, if you wanted to be punny.

With his shirt fully unbuttoned she tugged it back, leaning forward to try and gain some leverage to pull it off his shoulders and down his arms, nails scraping lightly over his skin. Once the offending fabric was tossed aside, her hands trailed down his chest once more, latching onto his belt with a slight tug to pull him back closer to the bed Frey had made them.

hello darkness, goodbye light

PHOEBE

— we can hide in the cover of the storm

He lets her take that small amount of charge, separating where his body meets the curves of her own. She unbuttons his shirt, and he moves with her enough that she can remove it while he works to unbutton her dress, pulling her hair aside and over her shoulder further as calloused hands dance over the soft skin of her back. And once he’s managed to unbutton one of them, she’s tugging him closer.

And that’s certainly new.

It’s unexpected and has him veering a bit closer to her, letting her unbuckle the belt that traps him as he unbuttons the next two buttons of her dress. And when he’s done, he nudges it from her shoulders, away from the blood drying on her skin, and he gives her a fanged smirk for her efforts as the dress falls away. It doesn’t stop him whether she’s gotten the belt off yet, his uncut hand finds the back of her head, fingers curling in her hair and his lips find her neck again once more, drifting lower and lower as he guides her back until the back of her legs touch the bed.

you're the lightning, and I'll soon be gone —

SUNJATA

you're my sunshine, you're my rain,

you're all i've lost yet all i've gained

Phoebe barely registered her dress falling to a soft heap on the ground, too focused on edging them closer to the bed. But she had only just unfastened his belt when Jata suddenly tugged her closer, head tilting back into his hand on reflex. Frantically she wrapped her arms around his waist, hands up by his shoulder blades in a desperate attempt to balance herself as she was suddenly precariously pinned by her legs to the bed. Nails lightly pressed into his skin, clinging to him to keep from falling.

But the feeling of falling backwards remained, her weight too far back, pulling them both down unless Jata managed to muscle them back to both feet.

hello darkness, goodbye light

PHOEBE

— we can hide in the cover of the storm

It’s a desperate attempt to keep from falling back that she clutches to him in such a way, and as his lips and teeth find her neck and his hands continue to cup and hold, he smirks as he lifts his head slightly toward her ear again. “I’ve got you.” He whispers to her ear, a sultry deep tone leaving his lips before he nips at her ear again.

It doesn’t last too long, however, the bed begins to mold around her legs and one hand drifts lower to her hip, pulling her against him enough to press his trapped length back to her to give her an idea of how much he needs her right now. He finally finds it in him to remove his lips from her, to guide her to lay into the bed that rises slightly to catch her, and Sunjata works with a quiet hiss to remove his pants now that his belt is off. Once his pants slide to the ground, only then does his gaze return to her with a slight shudder as if his look alone could devour her whole, something hungry for a brief second.

Calloused hands reach to part her legs as he moves toward her now to kneel between them, to hover over her as one hand lifts to play at her breast, the other trailing so incredibly soft on the inside of her thigh as he drifts it closer but never quite gives in fully toward the apex of her thighs. His lips find her jaw line, her neck where he plants a few more bites as one thumb brushes against her nipple, the other brushing ever closer toward the heat between her legs, tempting her. Teasing her. Not giving in just yet until she makes him.

you're the lightning, and I'll soon be gone —

SUNJATA

you're my sunshine, you're my rain,

you're all i've lost yet all i've gained

While Jata had been enjoying his various partners in the time that had elapsed since they'd been together, Phoebe had had no such luck. And as wonderful as Frey's gift and her imagination were, it couldn't replace everything. Every nip and kiss sent shocks and shudders through each nerve, the hum of his voice sending her heart racing. But she did relish a moment the feel of the bed beneath her - it felt more like she was laying on a cloud than a bed.

And when she lifted her honeyed gaze to his, the look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

Her arms lifted to wrap around him, fingers running across his shoulders as he touched and teased, back arching up in a a desperate attempt to get closer...but everything was fleeting, and a quiet whine escaped her lips as he refused her what she wanted. But two could play at that game, and she knew already his resolve was likely fraying. Nails trailed lightly down his back before one arm pulled down between them. Delicate fingers curled around his length, stroking what she could reach, a smirk tugging at her lips.

hello darkness, goodbye light

PHOEBE

— we can hide in the cover of the storm

She does know him to an extent, so much so that when he taunts and teases her and she drags her nails down his back, he can’t help the shivers that rise up in place. They travel down his spine, along his shoulders, as she arched against him while he bites and kisses and sucks at her neck, breath raking across her skin. He doesn’t count on her reaching him, however, and as soon as she’s wrapping her fingers around his length he can’t help the quiet groan that leaves his throat, biting at her neck a bit harder, one hand palming at her breast a bit rougher, the other tracing up and up her thigh in tender taunting strokes until he finally reaches her.

Instinctively, he bucks his hips somewhat against her hand while he dives in ever so slightly. His thumb presses against her, rubbing in idle circles as he kisses a trail up from her neck to her ear once more. Fanged teeth nip at her ear playfully before he pauses in that endeavor, keeping his thumb and his other hand in their lazy strokes. “Tell me what you want.” A husky command in his voice, a slight pant as he nips at her ear again, pressing himself into her hand further to give her more to play with.

you're the lightning, and I'll soon be gone —

SUNJATA

you're my sunshine, you're my rain,

you're all i've lost yet all i've gained

She gasp and winced simultaneously, the sudden increase in pressure against her neck as he bit down both painful and enthralling. But then if course she was rewarded for her patience and reciprocation, a low moan parting her lips. Eyes fluttered close, hips rocking up towards his hand of their own accord. Even so it was not enough, he still teased and taunted, and her moan melted into a whine.

She opened her eyes to look at him as he asked what she wanted, eyes hazy with lust and need. "You." she said simply, as though that wasn't clear enough as she squirmed beneath him, teeth tugging at her lip.

hello darkness, goodbye light

PHOEBE