and it rains, and rains, and rains

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

”Mm,” Ronin says softly, ”that she would, without a doubt.” He smiles anyway, letting his fingers caress Remi’s cheek as his lips press so gently against his tattooed skin. It doesn’t seem possible to enjoy a moment like this, with his husband’s eyes drowning in black, with the beast just beneath his skin so close to the surface. But in truth, Ronin loves it. It’s dangerous, this love; a tightrope that he falls from, again and again, without caring.

They fall into step together, the wind howling up from the cliff sides, the rain needling down on them and stinging his skin where it touches. At Remi’s response, the Star bursts out laughing, turning to walk backwards and capturing his husband’s hands, tugging him close. Please resist arrest,” he says, his voice lowering to something challenging, a smirk curling at his lips. ”It’s been so long since I had an excuse to chase you.”

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground

He's covered in blood and swaddled in shadows, while Ronin is the epitome of light and strength. Together they are an odd pair, but never could Remi doubt how perfectly they fit together. Their jagged edges do not always align, they are not one heartbroken into two that is only whole when fit back together...but they are, for each other, everything.

Reaching out for his husband and taking his hands, falling against him like the wedding dance they never had, Remi grins in such a way that only one of his cheeks dimples, so crooked his smile. "Alright then star boy. If you want me, you're gonna have to catch me." He says, affecting his best dock-worker accent (poorly, his own accent far too sweet to imitate the rough words spoken by the docks), as he releases Ronin's hands.

Remi is the faster, but he's also mostly naked, shoeless, and covered in blood during a monsoon. That, and Ronin has a fair number of tricks up his sleeves. So as the Alchemist darts out across the sands, large tawny wings sprawl from his sides to help propel him faster away from the scoundrel looking to arrest him.

THE ALCHEMIST

i wake up lonely, this air of silence, in the bedroom and all around

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

It’s just like the wedding dance they never had, and Ronin has the urge for a moment to simply hold onto Remi, swaying to the music of the storm. He keeps him closer than he keeps his own shadow, blue eyes blazing, fractals of light flickering out from his form. ”I love you so much,” he says suddenly, voice gruff, and half swallowed by the night. Then he lets Remi go, with the full intention of catching him again. The other man is faster, and yet Ronin does give him a little head start, an adoring smile on his lips as he watches the Alchemist bound away.

Then his left hand makes a fist and plunges towards the mud; erupting in starfire, the Aries ram roars forth, easily the size of a large stallion, charging after the other man. Ronin straightens up, slumping onto the cloud that has come to settle at his side, and goes rocketing after his husband. The ram tries to corral him towards the cottage - Ronin, meanwhile, has already conjured his astral projection to wait for Remi there.

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground

Oh, you think he's going to be afraid of a ram? Though Remi can't see what's behind him, he can see the way the world has developed a warm reddish hue from the fire. Funny how the ram keeps burning, but he supposes that Safrin isn't the sort to let a little something like a monsoon rain on her parade. Or Ronin's, by extension. Lunging forward and looking as though he's diving into the air, Remi's wings beat down and instantly his feet rise off of the sand. The charging ram will have to grow wings as he has done, should it want to follow.

"Pick on someone your own size." Remi calls in a childish voice from the air as a ghostly lion appears from the darkness. It roars, charging towards the ram with ghostly jaws parted. Looking now like some over-sexualized version of the valentines angel (given that he's winged and only in his underwear), Remi darts towards Ronin and his cloud, his wings having to beat more often given the downpour. "And you can pick on me." He taunts, and, unsure precisely what will happen, tries to fly close enough to Ronin to kick at his cloud.

THE ALCHEMIST

i wake up lonely, this air of silence, in the bedroom and all around

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Regrettably, the ram is short-lived, and as it charges at Remi’s ghostly lion in a light show that is truly impressive, it disperses in a swathe of celestial flames. Dropped back into darkness but for his inner-starlight, Ronin just about sees Remi coming. He rises to his feet on his nimbus, and around him in a halo, starbolts appear. None of them stand a chance of actually hitting his husband, but they’ll do as a distraction, and Ronin flings them all at the same time as he tumbles backwards from his nimbus.

The cloud races to catch him, of course - hopefully out of the range of Remi’s kicking, because Ronin has no idea what’ll happen either - and he cackles up at his counterpart. ”I thought I was supposed to be catching you,” he says, his tongue running across his teeth as he gazes up at his husband, winged and almost entirely naked. They have both grown stronger, in their own way, but Remi will forever make Ronin’s knees weak.

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground

Starlight and ghostly vapours do make an interesting pairing, and might have continued to do so had the minds which were creating them not been entirely distracted by each other.

Dodging and weaving as his husband tosses star bolts of light at him, Remi dramatically feigns being hit, allowing himself to flit downwards, with both hands over his stomach as if to hide a wound. When he's quite certain his husband is watching, he reveals that all along he's simply been nursing his middle finger, which he thrusts in Ronin's direction with a triumphant grin. "You were, but you were doing a rather shit job of it, so I thought I'd catch you instead."

So saying, he waggles his fingers at his husband. Ronin might have his own ways of being distracting, but so does Remi. With clawed fingers he slices through the material of his underwear, balling up the cloth and throwing it towards Ronin. "Now I'm really breaking the law." He sings, before flapping his wings and turning his body to carry him towards their cottage, his ass lily-white in the moonlight.

THE ALCHEMIST

i wake up lonely, this air of silence, in the bedroom and all around

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Oh, Ronin is definitely watching, the Star snorting out a laugh at the carefully cradled middle finger that his husband has been saving for him. ”Oh yeah? Well so far you’ve not been very successful anyw—!” Cut off by the wet underwear flung at his face, Ronin’s laughter fills the night, and by the time he’s pulled the offending garment away his husband is racing for home. ”Halt!” he calls dramatically, though he knows he has no chance of catching Remi.

Luckily, he doesn’t plan to. The projection that has been waiting it out at the cottage porch suddenly becomes very real indeed, Ronin dismissing the one now sitting on his cloud - and the cloud too - while he strips the rest of his clothes. Remi will arrive to find his husband naked and soaking wet, leaning against the open front door with a particularly smouldering look in his eyes.

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground

Remi does not halt. Whether his ass shakes a bit more than necessary as he flies ahead of the Star is entirely something the pair can discuss later. Or...now, as it turns out. Blinking in unhappy surprise as his epic victory is stolen away by his husband's latest trick, Remi's wings flail out wide to try and bring him to an abrupt of a halt as possible. With an unhappy boyish snarl on his lips, Remi lands and is about to plant his hands defiantly on his hips, until he sees that Ronin too has relieved himself of his clothes.

Feeling his knees grow weak just as his stomach does a flip, Remi stutters in a breath as he raises his hands above his head. "Alright, you got me, you got me." He says pleadingly. "I'm sure we can work this out somehow." Forgoing his wings for a heated stare of his own, Remi lowers his hands, placing his wrists together and offering them out towards the Star. "See? I'll even let you cuff me." Leaning forward, the scruff on his cheek brushing against Ronin's as he seeks out his husband's ear, he whispers: "Though I can't promise that I'll cum quietly."

THE ALCHEMIST

i wake up lonely, this air of silence, in the bedroom and all around

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

Ronin straightens up as Remi swoops in to land, the Star unable to stop the smile on his face to counter his husband’s pout. His gaze wanders up and down the full length of the other man’s body as he approaches, his hands out before him for cuffing, and he already feels heat plunge low in his belly at the implications. ”Indecent exposure, and fleeing from arrest? I’m not sure what we could possibly have to work out, sir,” he says with feigned disappointment, fingers circling Remi’s wrists as if to hold them in place.

It’s a ruse, of course - Ronin neither can nor wants to hold him, but it’s all part of the game. Remi leans in, cheek to cheek, and at the whisper in his ear the Star already feels his cock twitch in anticipation. ”You never do,” he growls out the response, a wicked laugh leaving his lips. Tugging the Alchemist further against him, he guides his hands on an infuriatingly slow journey over his body, taking in every scar, every tattoo, every swell of muscle.

”What am I going to do with you, huh?”

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground

Remi swallows doing his best to look guilty. It's difficult, with the way the corners of his mouth want to widen into a smile though. "Fleeing? No, not me. I think you mean flying. There wasn't enough room on your cloud so.." Remi looks down to where Ronin has taken his wrists, though his eyes are unfocused on their hands, instead looking at the tanned bits of Ronin's skin he can see in between. "I would never want to make things hard for you." He mumbles with an innocent smile.

"No, I never do." Remi agrees as the Star begins to administer a very specific kind of torture. The Alchemist's biceps tremble with restraint as if he truly is trying to break his husband's grip as his hands are forced over a body that never fails to take his breath away. His eyelashes flutter as heat sweeps through him, collecting in his core and then sinking down into his hips. "Far be it for me to tell you how to do your job.." The Alchemist says in a low breath, pulling in a breath that strives towards restraint but falls short, instead sounding more like a gasp as his fingers are forced to continue their trek.

"What are the chances of me reoffending, if you let me off with just a warning, do you think?"

THE ALCHEMIST

i wake up lonely, this air of silence, in the bedroom and all around

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

”Not enough room on my cloud? I beg to differ, Governor. There is always room for you.” Gods, it’s fucking torturous for them both, the way Remi’s hands leave trails of warm fire against skin made chilly by the rain and the wind, the way his lips linger ever so closely to his husband’s, not quite touching. ”Is that so? But you’re so good at it,” he objects, trying to sound chastising as he moves Remi’s hands down across his lower back to cup and squeeze his ass.

His laugh this time is a breathy sort of chuckle, Ronin barely trusting himself to keep up the ruse, over bright eyes dancing with heat and amusement both. ”Let you off with a warning, he says. I think you’re already imagining reoffending, if I’m honest. I think I’ll have to bring you in.” He leaves Remi’s hands where he’s placed them, his own fingers dancing along the Alchemist’s forearms, biceps, shoulders, and the heartbeat in his wedding ring might just skip a beat as his touch roams.

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground

"And yet you threw star bolts at me when I tried. Some might call that an abuse of power, you know." Remi replies, his voice growing rougher as his accent spaces out the syllables of each word. It's how Remi sounds when he's lost in thought, or distracted as is currently the case. Swallowing hard, his fingers flex in Ronin's grip in places they want to linger, though offer no resistance as they are gently tugged along. Licking his lips, close enough that his tongue nearly brushes against Ronin's, the Alchemist hums a distracted sound of agreement. He opens his mouth to say something, before biting down on a moan as his hands are finally allowed to grab.

Between them his cock twitches as Remi draws in another breath. He's as delighted as he is maddened by this charade, and with his palms firmly covering the swell of his husband's ass, it's all he can do not to pin him against the open door frame. His eyes slip shut as Ronin's fingers walk their way up, and already Remi can feel the riotous desire he feels for Ronin threatening to boil over.

"Inside? Me? The scandal of it. Surely there is something I can do. Do you want to hear me beg? Is that it?" Remi's words are fluttery for good reason given how hard his heart is pounding. "I'll even do it on my knees." He adds wickedly, keeping his palms firmly on his husband as he locked eyes with the hunter and descends. His knees touch the porch as Remi settles back on his heels, never once looking away from Ronin. The Star's cock is just an inch or so from the Alchemist's mouth as his fingers roam down to the back to Ronin's thighs. "I—" This is said with his mouth open far more than it needs to be, the O of his lips a breath away from the tip of Ronin's cock. "—am so very sorry."

THE ALCHEMIST

i wake up lonely, this air of silence, in the bedroom and all around

we shall heal our wounds, collect our dead

”Some might call it self defence. You were trying to kick me, if I remember correctly. Trying to get me to take a tumble off my cloud, perhaps. I can’t be held responsible for that.” Gods, he loves the way the Alchemist’s accent wraps around words when he’s like this, allowing Ronin to listen to the music between the syllables, the way his tone lowers to something like roughed honey.

He’s already truly distracted, and Remi has already made things hard for him, so as his husband continues the charade with such a committed performance, the Star is in no position to stop him. His fingers have worked into the Alchemist’s wet curls as he drops fluidly to his knees, Ronin watching with hooded eyes and parted lips at the feigned apology, the hot breath that causes a surge of liquid fire to throb through the length of his cock.

Having to bite on the inside of his cheek to stop from moaning or pleading for more, Ronin is nonetheless caught by the firm hands on the back of his thighs, letting out a shuddering breath and enjoying, fully and completely, the sight of Remi before him on his knees. His fingers tighten ever so slightly in the other man’s hair, and he forces his eyes to close just to concentrate. ”Say it... like you mean it,” he manages in a voice little more than a husky rumble.

THE DARK STAR

and continue fighting

lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground

"Well, I suppose it's just your word against mine." Remi suggests, cheeks flushed to a shade that's very nearly purple there's so much heat. As he says the words against mine, he tempts both of their resolves by letting his hips shift forward just enough for their lengths to graze against one another, before he straightens, as if it hadn't been intentional at all.

Remi's sea-bright stare grows all the more primal as Ronin's fingers twine into his curls, the pressure of it a welcome companion to the pressure already low in his belly. "I—." Again the word is said with far more articulation than is reasonably necessary. Shuffling slightly on his heels, intending to be here for a moment, Remi bites the inside of his cheek to keep his voice from sounding too wickedly delightful. "Perhaps...since I have made things so hard on you...I should make reparations.." The ssss does not hiss but instead glides from Remi's mouth, followed quickly by his tongue. Circling the head of Ronin's cock, his fingers tighten against the back of Ronin's thighs, though rather than encouraging the hunter forward, he instead holds him in place. This is Remi's apology after all, and he'll make it how he wants.

Looking up the muscled vista of his husband's body as he takes Ronin's erection all the way into his mouth, he hums a note he hopes warbles deep into the Star's sensitive skin as his lips firmly wrap around Ronin's cock.

THE ALCHEMIST

i wake up lonely, this air of silence, in the bedroom and all around