[SE] hark the heralds

RONIN

"I know. I know, I am a fraud," Ronin gasps as well as he leads them through the freshly dug snow and into his Very Special Hotsprings Trench, up until the point where he'd paused to go and see the ice globes. "Oh have you?" He glances over his shoulder at Remi, already resuming his digging and heaving the snow and dirt up and over the trench with an ease that should not really have been possible.

"I heard it makes the body go into shock and that it can kill you. But what do I know?" He grins, leaving the Lullaby to decide on his own direction when it comes to their hotspring. "I suppose it doesn't really matter though, since I figure I'll be the one providing the heat regardless of what happens?"

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

the lullaby

i don't want the world to see me,
because I don't think they'd understand

"Not so much a fraud as...not as advertised? I specifically remember one of the reasons I proposed to you was your hot-springs-digging skills." Remi comments with a shrug that tries to look disappointed but utterly fails thanks to his crooked smile.

'How lucky for us both then that we're immortal.' The alchemist counters; if Ronin had been hoping for Remi to admit he was probably wrong, he'd have to do better than wave death around. 'You do tend to provide the heat.' This is said with no small amount of subtext, and it's with an appreciative glance that Remi pauses to watch his husband at work.

That said, yes, it probably was Ronin who would be providing the heat. "If we have stones on hand, you can just...recline on them for a time while you smoulder and then we can heave them in when we want the water to be warm. I can't think of how else to do it that won't have you constantly evaporating half the Stonesong."

when everything's meant to be broken,
i just want you to know who I am

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

"I never thought it would actually come up," Ronin protests, more than happy to play along with this charade as he wipes the sweat from his brow and digs their trench further that they might be able to lead it into a basin sort of shape. Is it how it's supposed to go? Fuck if Ronin knows. "Luckily for you, when it's between the two of us I am more than happy to provide the heat," he says, flashing a lopsided smile over his shoulder and lifting the arm not holding the shovel to flex for Remi's benefit.

But there's more digging to be done unless his husband is insistent about his heat bringing, and Ronin chuckles at the mental image of him lounging against some stones. "We could just toss some water on the stone at that point and make a sauna instead," he suggests. "A good plan, though, unless we find someone with lava magic to help us out."

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

the lullaby

i don't want the world to see me,
because I don't think they'd understand

"And yet....whatever will our son think? Who will teach him about digging hotsprings now?" Promptly silenced by his husband's flexing (nevermind that his muscles were hidden beneath layers and layers of clothing, Remi could and did imagine precisely what was beneath), the alchemist grins, before turning to assess how he might actually help.

"I can't tell if you're suggesting a sauna to get out of building a hotsprings, or if you think it's a good idea." Remi chuckles as he leans down to begin piling and moving stones so that later they'll be able to create a barrier for the water. "Now that would be something. I do not often miss the magic I had before, but at times like this, it really would be much more convenient." He notes with a bit of a shrug.

"I...have been trying to think of a diplomatic way of..." Remi's voice has taken on a tone characteristic of I Want Your Opinion, as he continues rock-moving. "..telling everyone that despite the skyport here, that the Greatwood is not....not a tourist destination." Frowning and offering an uncertain glance toward the Huntsman, Remi sighs and continues. "I don't want any more fuckery here than is necessary, and I certainly don't want the Greatwood to turn into some destination spot."

when everything's meant to be broken,
i just want you to know who I am

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

Ronin can't help himself; his laughter is comparable to that of a teenage boy, and he pauses in his digging and leans against his shovel to shrug his shoulder. "Are you telling me that you can see our son digging a hotspring instead of examining every bug, plant and icicle in the vicinity?" he wants to know. Their son is a lot of things, but a brute strength worker does not seem like one of them.

As for the hotspringsauna idea, he digs another shovelful of snow and hauls it over the side of the basin. "Does it have to be an either / or situation?" he asks. "What if we get some extra stones and make a sauna to go alongside it?" It might be more work, but it's not like either of them shy away from it.

At least Ronin thinks he has a diplomatic answer for his husband's worries about the Greatwood. "The Fae are protective of their woods as well, and the skyport is right in their village. I don't think it'd be unreasonable to have everyone who touches down to state their business and how long they'll be staying. Just visiting can go right back the way they came."

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

the lullaby

i don't want the world to see me,
because I don't think they'd understand

Remi opens his mouth to say something, before thinking better of it. Narrowing his eyes instead as his thoughts settle into order, he raises his brows triumphantly and tries again. "I can see him digging a hot spring if that was the natural environment of something he was trying to study, yes." Remi counters. Little did they both know that while Mateo was probably not the sort to dig his own hot springs, he would absolutely soon become the sort of man who was pleased to boast about owning one.

'Now you're just trying to distract me.' Remi huffs, and though one would think that by pointing it out he wouldn't be susceptible, he absolutely was. Already imagining how the two might fit together and share the same resources, he cocks his head to the side before offering his husband a thoughtful stare. "Does a sauna need to be enclosed?" He wonders, thinking that the answer was yes, but having no real experience to bounce his intuitions against.

"I like that. Though as the Dragon of the Greatwood, I suppose it falls to you to kick them back out." Remi points out with a bright grin.

when everything's meant to be broken,
i just want you to know who I am

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

"Ooh, you got me there," Ronin says with a boyish grin; he agrees with Remi in that he absolutely can't see Mateo being the one to dig his own hotspring, but there would be one in existence if it was fOr ScIeNcE. He inhales deeply as he gets back to work, and though Remi won't be able to hear his laughter, his shoulders still shake with it. "And so what if I am? I like distracting you - it's fun." And it normally leads to a lot of fun places, in his experience.

"Listen, I have no idea how to make a hotspring - asking me about a sauna is just cruel," he points out, though even as they've been talking there's been a lot of progress made in the basin like area he's digging. "And if I have to be the one to kick out the riff-raff to keep my hubby happy, then I guess that's what I'm going to be doing." Straightening up and stretching, he turns to gesture at the would-be hotspring. "How big do you want this?"

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

the lullaby

i don't want the world to see me,
because I don't think they'd understand

Remi, who also very much liked being distracted by his husband, just grinned. "No nothing. Just pointing it out." With a pile of stones large enough to look like a strange cairn on the shoreline, Remi straightens and brushes his curls from his forehead with a rough swipe of his arm. "Music to my ears." He all but purrs, knowing that no matter what comes of it, Ronin will never be seen as the bad guy even if he does have to turn half of Caido away. Remi will surely have that title no matter what, but just now, he hardly cares.

With a boyish grin that Ronin absolutely should have expected from him when asked how big, Remi stabs his shovel into the earth and walks over to peer down into the basin. "Tempted as I am to insist on it being huge, there's an argument to be made for keeping it cozy." Half of that argument obviously had to do with how close the pair would have to be when using it, but Remi also took into account those who might be passing by their little abode and want to join in. If there was no room, it wouldn't be rude to say so, would it?

when everything's meant to be broken,
i just want you to know who I am

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

"I'm glad you think so," he says softly, stepping back to stand with Remi and admiring their progress so far. Sure, right now it looks like a bunch of dug up dirt and snow and a weird pile of stones, but as far as Ronin's concerned, it's perfect. "I think cozy is a great idea. Less work for us, less intrusions for everyone else," he agrees, unintentionally voicing what Remi is thinking.

Slipping an arm around his husband's waist, Ronin presses a somewhat sweaty kiss against his cheek. "Break time?" he asks. "I don't know about you but I could probably go for that snowdrift sex right now to cool off." Is he joking? No, probably not, especially if the way his hand sneaks lower is anything to go by.

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

the lullaby

i don't want the world to see me,
because I don't think they'd understand

Grimacing theatrically at the chilly moistness of Ronin's kiss, Remi's expression drastically changes as the Huntsman no doubt knew it would. "Oh is this how today is going to go?" The alchemist wonders incredulously, trying not to read into the low-drift of his husband's hands. "More teasing?" Though it was true the last time Ronin had mentioned snowbank sex they did end up having wonderful shower sex, that was still several hours later.

"You might as well push me in the Stonesong right now." He complains, shifting his thoughts to arithmetic or Mateo's terrarium or anything that might keep the blood flow from dipping unbearably far south.

when everything's meant to be broken,
i just want you to know who I am

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

"Mm...?" Ronin doesn't expect the incredulous twang to Remi's tone, and his kisses pause where he's started to let them drift down onto his husband's jawline. "I wasn't teasing," he mumbles, furrowing his brow even as his hand starts to sneak beneath the Lullaby's coat, that he might fondle the very fine ass that's practically begging to be grabbed. "And I did promise you yesterday, didn't I?"

If that's not evidence enough that Ronin is very serious in his snowdrift plans, hopefully the way he shifts to tug Remi up against him might help to convince him. "I bet this trench is tall enough now that no one would even see. Not that I expect either of us would care if they did." He grins, leaning in to steal the alchemist's response from his lips with a kiss.

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

the lullaby

i don't want the world to see me,
because I don't think they'd understand

'Well, yes, but—' Remi's eyes slip shut as Ronin's hands wander beneath the folds of his sweater. His mewls of protest wisp away in the back of his throat as he tips his head back that Ronin's lips might be able to seek out more of his jawline and neck. No matter the season they were in, Remi always found himself wildly attracted to his husband to the point that it was almost a problem (the pair still had to fix the bathroom door at the bar, infact).

'Ronin—' He begins, cheeks flushed due to the familiar and tantalizing pressure already building low in his belly. Cut off, the alchemist growls into the lips suddenly against his own, reaching for the Huntsman with a rough sort of intentionality that very much suggested that even if Ronin was intending to simply tease the alchemist, that stopping was no longer on the table. Tugging at the base of Ronin's shirt that his palm might find the skin of his husband's lower back instead of layers and layers, Remi sighs briefly feeling temporarily satisfied. So long as no one else touches me, I do not care who watches.

when everything's meant to be broken,
i just want you to know who I am

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

RONIN

No one else is going to touch you if I have anything to do with it, Ronin almost croons down the bond to Remi, his lips parting to deepen the kiss, his hands greedily trying to get more of his husband's touch. Gods, how do you always do this to me? he wonders, his words halfway to a growl as he arches against his hand. The snow might as well be a hot shower at this point, Ronin reluctantly dragging one of his hands away that he might playfully tug at the other man's curls.

"How cold do you want to be?" he asks with a wicked grin, his kisses travelling along Remi's throat even as his hips tilt forward, as if to create as much heat and friction as he possibly can with their limited options. "Whatever you decide, I'm sure I could warm you up after either way."

soft spoken with a broken jaw
we step outside, but not to brawl

the lullaby

i don't want the world to see me,
because I don't think they'd understand

And if they try? Remi wonders, intentionally trying to goad more of a predatory response from the Huntsman. Meeting the deepened kiss with his tongue and teeth, the alchemist's muscles shiver and tighten in anticipation as his fingertips press roughly into the muscles of Ronin's lower back. He wants to shove his husband onto his back much as he wants the former-Star to do the same to him. Wants the tantalizing build up that comes from the slow removal of clothes much as he wants to shred every ounce of fabric that keeps them apart.

"I am not thinking about after." Remi growls in response, snaking his free hand into Ronin's hair and tangling therein as if the pressure of his fingers might force the Huntsman's kisses to turn into those which will leave bruises. "Besides, I bet I can handle the cold better than you." Another taunt, though given Ronin's phoenix shift Remi thought there still might be some truth in it.

when everything's meant to be broken,
i just want you to know who I am

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!