clear as mud

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

"Ronin, I need you—" The alchemist calls brightly from their bedroom. Whatever coaxing it would take for the Star to be drawn upstairs, he'd find himself immediately accosted by his husband at their doorway. "It isn't that I don't trust you...but I absolutely don't." Remi purrs as he slides a blindfold over Ronin's eyes, pressing a kiss to the huntsman's lips should he be at all tempted to argue. A pity, really, given that Ronin's eyes and eyebrows are two of his best features. But some things required sacrifice.

"And now I need you naked and on the bed. And no matter what you feel, you have to let me finish and can't take off the blindfold. Understood?"

The type of scene this sounded like couldn't be farther from the truth, but Ronin didn't need to know that. Amalia had gotten a map, and now Ronin would get...well. You'll see.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

the things we hold are always the first to go

With a call like that from the bedroom, Ronin honestly expects to find his husband either with an erection, or else stuck halfway out the window or something. Regardless, he’s of course enticed from where he’s been meditating (for real, yes, thank you Amalia) to creep up the stairs to find Remi. Bumping into him outside the door and finding himself blindfolded, kisses, and guided into the room, the Star barely has a chance to agree - not that he’s going to refuse.

”If you take this blindfold off and there’s a room full of people, I want you to know that you could have just asked.” He chuckles, obeying and stripping off. He relies on Remi to get to the bed, before dutifully collapsing down and stretching out comfortably. Oh, the things he has to put up with. Woe is him.

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

'A room full of people. That's where your mind went first?" The alchemist huffs as if disappointed, guiding Ronin to the edge of the bed so that the Star can get his bearings and lay down. "This isn't about you." He emphasizes, pointing towards Ronin's penis (not that the Star can see this of course). Even so, Remi winks down at his husband's groin for good measure before grabbing a basket of things and straddling the Star.

"Okay. Remember, no opening your eyes and no flailing, or you'll ruin it."

So saying Remi drips something onto Ronin's stomach. It's slightly warm and sticky. Very sticky actually. He clumps a bunch of it over Ronin's upper chest, slathering it around his tattoo and then adding...grass? Is that what it is? Ronin might also feel pebbles, dried seaweed, bits of wood, and even..hair? attached in various places, held there by the sticky substance Ronin is now coated in.

"Nearly done." Remi hums brightly, clearly quite excited and proud of what he's doing, if the sunny tone of his voice is any indication.

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

the things we hold are always the first to go

”Why else would you blindfold me?” Ronin says with a grin, tucking his arms behind his head and stretching out comfortably on the blankets. He raises a brow under the fabric around his eyes, though Remi probably won’t see - it doesn’t explain, either way, how this isn’t about him. (Not that he knows his husband is talking to his... penis...)

Mumbling an affirmation despite having no idea what’s happening, the Star nonetheless fidgets as something incredibly sticky is smeared over his chest. ”Remi,” he begins, trying not to laugh at the layers of frankly weird and excessive decoration(?). ”What in the gods’ names are you doing?” Scrunching up his nose, he instinctively tries to wiggle off the edge of the bed, like he can escape.

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

"Well, you're about to find out, now aren't you?" Remi smirks back, taking a moment to admire his husband before beginning. And gods, how undeniably attractive he was. But, as Remi had said, this wasn't about his penis.

"If I told you it would ruin the—hey—you stop that right now." Leaning forward to pin Ronin in place, Remi's arms holding the Star's shoulders down against the bed, the alchemist snaps his teeth (suddenly sounding very sharp and like there are a good deal more of them than normal) at the tip of Ronin's nose. "If you keep moving I'm just going to have to keep redoing it." He threatens before smearing the sticky liquid onto Ronin's lips. In so doing the huntsman will learn that it's honey of all things. This also means if they don't wash it off within a reasonable about of time, Ronin's chest is going to be shockingly hairless when they do manage to get it off.

"Now if I leave you for 2 minutes, are you going to be good?"

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

the things we hold are always the first to go

If there’s one thing that’s abundantly clear it’s that this isn’t about his penis, and Ronin has to be honest - he’s profoundly disappointed about that as Remi gets to work. Touching everything and everywhere and making a huge mess by the feel of it, Ronin’s cock is regrettably left wanting, and he cant help but laugh at the sharp sound of teeth snapping together as he tries to slither off the bed.

”I’m not doing any— hey!” Ronin is cut off by the smear of honey on his lips, and he falls silent for a second (obviously) to enjoy licking the sweetness away. ”Great - I’m dessert,” he huffs, sounding remarkably fine about it. Still, Remi’s remark causes a wolffish grin to creep across his face. ”No,” he says, like that should have been clear. ”So you better be quick.”

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

"Aren't you always?" The Lullaby purrs in response about Ronin being dessert. Though if he could see himself, it wouldn't be the type of thing to make his mouth water, that's for sure.

Remi's smile is dark, and shit-eating, and perhaps a little turned on. Gods how he loves this absolute monster of a man. Rolling off of the bed quickly, Ronin will hear the sound of several things from the bathroom falling to the floor, a few choice curses from Remi, and the sound of Sugar puffing out cold blasts of her amusement for his efforts. Quickly though he returns, flushed and slightly out of breath. Hopping onto the bed, he remains standing, balancing on either side of Ronin.

"Okay. Don't get up, but you can look."

And this, drumroll please, is what Ronin will see.

By looking straight up, he'll see the alchemist holding a mirror over him that he might see the work of art that is now his chest.

Over the hawk tattoo are a load of leaves and some of Remi's mane that he's added black stripes to. Near Ronin's groin are bits of blue cloth to approximate waves, and wood to show where their house is. He's used cheerios (shut up, yes they have them), which have been bitten in half (Remi had been feeding them to Ronin during this process) as hoofprints leading from house, to..whatever the leaves and hair is supposed to represent.

Written (backwards, for he hadn't thought this far ahead), is "?erutnevda"

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

the things we hold are always the first to go

”I try. Sometimes you’re not in a dessert mood, though.” His voice is teasing, and though he really might make a nuisance of himself on an ordinary day, Ronin is too amused by the sound of whatever-the-fuck is happening in the bathroom to cause any trouble. The Lullaby’s weight on the bed is enough to rock the Star a bit, and he’s chuckling even as he’s given permission to look.

Peeling off the blindfold, Ronin is greeted with a rather artistic mess, and for a second he’s actually more taken by the sight of Remi and the mirror. (They should install one on their ceiling one of these days). Squinting, a grin creeps across his face as he notes the sea, their house, some cheerios steps along his abs, and... stripy, furry leaves. Still, the Star thinks he gets it, and flicks his gaze up to his husband.

”Remi Taliesin,” he says solemnly, ”it would be my honour to join you on an erutnevda. When do we leave?”

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

It's hard for Remi to both hold the mirror above Ronin and to see the huntsman's reaction to his masterpiece. Stealing glances when he can, he waits with a nervous breath held in his lungs for Ronin to render his verdict. Peaking out properly at the sound of his name, his expression is one of soft confusion for a moment before he looks utterly annoyed. "Erutn—" He repeats, looking down at Ronin where adventure is very clearly spelled out.

Realizing where the error must be, he twists the mirror to see a fraction of what the Star must be seeing and frowns. "No, it was supposed to be adventure." He groans, nose crinkling as he sets the mirror down against the bed. Dropping to his knees and causing the bed to bounce in the process, Remi hoovers up a few cheerios from his husband's stomach before shrugging. "Sooner rather than later based on our water supply, I think. I know everyone is concerned about the Climb and whatnot but...if there's danger right on our doorstep, I think we should probably see to it."

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

the things we hold are always the first to go

Remi’s pouting and annoyance is adorable, and Ronin is laughing warmly as his husband tries to figure out his error. Eventually abandoning the mirror and shifting down to relieve his stomach of cheerio footprints, he beams at the other man. ”I know what it was supposed to be,” he assures him, radiating soft starlight and reaching out to snag Remi’s hand. Pressing a kiss to the back of it as if to reward his crafty efforts, Ronin nods slowly.

”While I’ll admit that I’m not so keen about leaving when everything is still so uncertain, I suppose there is still a molten tiger out there. And plenty of adventure to be had,” he says, absently trying to unstick one of the leaves from his chest (the honey is already drying). ”Will anyone be joining us? Or is this a sneak-out-in-the-dead-of-night deal?”

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

There is no starlight to show Remi's unfettered joy, but his smile is near as bright as his husband's radiance. Gleeful, his mischievous nature happily satisfied for now, the alchemist rolls off of his husband to try and tug him out of bed and toward the shower.

"I don't understand this illness, nor what these flowers have to do with it. But I do understand jungles and tigers and things that go bump in the dark. At least out there I'll feel as though we're being productive." Sneaking across the hall into the bathroom, Remi closes the door behind Ronin and turns on the water. "I'd asked Amalia. Is that alright? After Zephyr and Phoebe's immediate desire to leave after the bugs and sort-of attack, I thought having someone who wasn't afraid of getting their hands a bit dirty—or bloody—might be a better strategy."

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".

the things we hold are always the first to go

His hand snagged, Ronin happily rolls out of bed to join his husband, the map now written on his chest safe from unsticking to the ground by the clever honey that Remi has used. His lips part to argue about the reasoning, but ultimately his partner is completely right, so instead Ronin tugs him back just before the bathroom so he can press a honey-sweet kiss to his lips. ”Then lets be productive, and find out what’s deeper in that jungle,” he murmurs, sneaking in after him.

With the water turned on, Ronin fights to peel off the majority of the map to deposit it in the sink, leaving him sticky but otherwise free of debris. Stripping off the rest of his clothes, he wastes no time in ducking under the water, a hand held out expectantly for the Lullaby to join him. ”Of course it’s alright. You two just try not to get sick while we’re out there, deal? I’ll bring a canteen of that water, just in case.”

he said "i bet you don't remember me"

Ronin, naked but covered with honey and what looks like a strange sort of salad, reaching for Remi in the middle of the hall is absolutely nothing surprising. In love, reckless, and stupid, this is the sort of thing those who live in the house with them have come to expect of the two men and Remi is not a single bit sorry about it.

Removing his clothes as well, Remi quite rambunctuousily beginsd to help lather Ronin up. Of course Honey isn't very water-soluable and so it does nothing more than act like a very bad massage. "Water is a good idea." He agrees. And hell, if it goes poorly, Ronin can always leave he and Amalia in the jungle to terrorize it as they see fit. At least they'd know that no one would come and bother them

"Tomorrow, then?" Remi asks, making sure to carefully soap Ronin's ass despite it having absolutely 0 honey on it.

~FIN

THE ALCHEMIST

and i said, "only every other memory".