[SE] hark the heralds

RONIN

"And don't you ever forget it," Ronin whispers back warmly, before the practicality of not being able to share Remi's warmth forever rears it's ugly head, and the Huntsman has to spend a reluctant couple of moments adjusting himself and shrugging into a coat made heavy and wet by the snow. At least home is only a few dozen paces away, and when the alchemist totters, Ronin is of course there to steady him.

With an arm slipped securely around Remi's waist, he chuckles his agreement. "No clothes," he agrees. "We'll stoke the fire and watch the blizzard from bed for a bit." Or more likely, one of them would watch the blizzard while the other snored obnoxiously into his shoulder, but neither would have a care in the world.

Smiling against the kiss that lands just shy of his lips, Ronin reaches up to cup Remi's cheek and redirect him for a real one for a second. "I would do unimaginable things for you," he replies, as if they are of a similar importance. And they are, between two demigods and the world between them.

Somewhat gingerly, Ronin leads them back towards the houseboat, and already the snow is starting to fall harder. "Do you think the Stonesong could really freeze over?" he wonders.

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

No, neither would care, and Remi is already grinning to imagine himself bundled up beneath furs and his husband, watching as the world was swallowing by silent white. Finding his husband's gaze and leaning into the feeling of Ronin's fingers against his cheek, Remi's eyes grow dark for a moment with a predatory acknowledgement of just what the Huntsman's words mean in the context of their love. For a moment the alchemist lingers, caught in that ever-present tide of wordless affection and love he has for Ronin, wanting to freeze it if only for a moment, so he can point out just how deeply it ran. But words had never been the alchemist's forte, and so he merely sighs and gives his husband's hand a squeeze.

"Parts of it, surely." Remi says with a nod. "But not all the way through. Maybe it will be thick enough we can take Mateo ice fishing here." Reluctant as ever to visit Halo, it would be nice to go skating or fishing in the Greatwood instead of venturing over the mountains. Sweeping open their door and beckoning Ronin inside, the alchemist begins to promptly strip out of his clothes.

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 think he would enjoy ice fishing," Ronin says with a soft smile, letting Remi go with visible reluctance, but as the heat in his belly cools off, he's suddenly freezing cold and his clothes are wet with melted snow. So let him go he does, though he's not far behind. "And ice skating. Though I think Sugar and I could arrange that much between us." Shutting the door behind him and unlacing his boots, Ronin (of course) can't stop himself from helping Remi strip out of his clothes.

Once they're both naked but chilly, Ronin stokes their wood burner and takes a flask of mulled wine from where it's been keeping warm, sneaking across to their bed. The flask can warm their sheets until they're ready to drink it, and the Huntsman wastes little time in diving beneath the covers. "It's cold in here," he complains.

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

'Gods but you're a clever man." Remi says watching Ronin slip the warm flask beneath the furs, and then continuing to watch as the Huntsman slipped himself beneath them as well. Grabbing a hunk of bread and cheese for later (or now), Remi crawls to his side of the bed, sets the food on the windowsill, before diving down beneath the blankets. "How ever will we warm up?" He wonders with a crooked smile, draping one leg over his husband's body and settling in against him.

The boat didn't rock as much as it did during warmer months given the slower speed of the Stonestong, and with the world outside muffled by the haze of snow, it was almost as if nothing else save for this one room existed at all.

"Hey, you want to do this personality thing I read about?" Remi asks, clearly not quite so ready for a nap as his counterpart. 'You don't have to do anything, other than answer three questions."

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, can you sign off on a document that says that please?" Ronin asks from beneath the covers, and he can't seem to tell whether or not to complain as Remi joins him (because they're both chilly, of course). "I don't think anyone ever believes it when I say I'm clever." Which isn't all that often, in fairness. He relents within seconds at the feel of Remi pressing up against him, one arm finding its way beneath the pillow and the other draping over his husband.

It doesn't take long before they're thoroughly tangled up with each other, and Ronin has lovingly ensured that the flask of wine is pressed against the blankets near the Lullaby's lower back, which had taken the brunt of the snowdrift. "A personality test? Is this like one of those determining your personality by the stars things?" He grins. "Fire away."

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

'Says what?' The alchemist quips back with a cheshire smile as if already recanting the compliment. In times like these where their bodies have been used but their minds are still light, Remi finds that nearly anyway he moves, he is shockingly comfortable and content. It's a rare feeling indeed, and had Ronin told him to shut up and go to sleep, Remi would likely have willingly obliged.

'mmmmm.' He hums luxuriously as heat spreads across his lower back and relaxes muscles he wasn't even aware had been tense. "No, not like one of those." Remi replies with a frown, intentionally pushing into the soft muscle below his husband's ribs as he shifts. "Besides, we already know what stars govern your personality." Playfully said, Remi rolls his eyes and then clears his throat to indicate that they're starting.

"Okay. First, is your favourite colour. But you have to give three good reasons. You can't just say, Oh I like green because it's nice. Or because it's the colour of the grass. It has to be like, I like green because it makes me feel powerful, or something like that. So favourite colour, favourite animal, and then favourite water." This last one will likely take some clarification. "So you can say water, or snow, or hail...or it can be specific water, like spring water, or snow run off, or even a specific body of water, like Torchline's Ocean." Remi raises his brows as he glances up at Ronin. "Got it? And three good reasons for each."

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

"Unfair," Ronin murmurs, though he accepts that he'll never get his sign-off of intelligence from his husband. As they settle in, nudges to the ribs aside, the Huntsman finds he doesn't much give a damn anyway. He's half buried his face into his pillow as the other man begins, and the partial smile that's visible begs to differ about the stars, but he decides not to argue for now. Not when they're about to begin.

"So it's twelve questions, really," he objects, narrowing his eyes. Of course he's going to answer, though, because it's Remi. "Fine, fine. My favourite colour is orange, because it makes me think of the sunrise, and that always cheers me up. It makes me feel warm, and it reminds me of all those citrus fruits we get in Torchline." He pauses, nibbling at the inside of his cheek as if considering.

"My favourite animal is... a dragon. Because Sugar will kill me if I don't say that - and yes, that's a very good reason. They also remind me that it's important to keep yourself under control, and that being part of a group is just as important as being able to go it alone." Ronin shifts under the covers, preening to himself as if thinking that's a very good answer indeed.

His favourite water is surprisingly easy, actually. "Waterfalls," he says. "They ground me, and they make me feel calm. And powerful too, I guess. Did I pass?"

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

'No, it's three questions, with three caveats." Remi argues, though by that logic, it's still only nine and not twelve Honey Ronin.

Biting at the inside of his cheek the alchemist does his best to hint at what Ronin's various answers and his explanations are meant to reveal about his PerSonaLity. Only when he gets to the end does Remi burst out laughing, unable to contain it. Covering his mouth with the back of his hand, he raises his eyes to Ronin which only sets him off laughing again. "Gods I love you." He all but wheezes, collapsing against his husband's shoulder.

"So according to the test...the things you say about your favourite colour, are how you view yourself. So you...are cheerful or maybe like to be cheered up, are warm, and oh look, something about food." So far anyway, the test wasn't wrong.

"Your favourite animal is meant to be traits you want in a partner. So...something about obligations and not dying? You want them to be in control, and...what does being in a group have to do with dragons?" Remi frowns, unsure what that was meant to say about him being Ronin's ideal partner.

"And the water...is how you view your sexuality." He reveals, grinning. Grounded, calm, and powerful sounded about right, and the metaphor of a waterfall was fairly fitting too.

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

See me in the classroom. Ronin doesn't know quite how to take it when Remi bursts out laughing, and he's probably blushing a fair bit by the time the alchemist collapses against his shoulder. His arms move around him further, like he can hold back any potential criticism that is likely to come from his (apparently) innocuous answers. "What?" he blurts as he starts to explain, and while his cheeks are still pink, a smile creeps across his face. "I'm delicious and zingy, he agrees on the food front.

And by the time Remi has moved onto partners and sex, Ronin is sneaking careful kisses along his bruised neck. "You're my dragon," he says, tittering to himself. "Have you never seen dragons working in a pack? Terrifying." And effective. "What I want in my ideal partner is right here. Your personality test is stupid, and I loved it."

Peeking up, he raises a mischievous brow. "Is this where I get to find out yours?"

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

'You certainly are delicious." Remi agrees, pressing his lips against the side of Ronin's neck before the Huntsman changes their position and Remi finds himself beaming up at the ceiling. "Don't let Sugar hear you say that." The alchemist chuckles, his own cheeks flushing now as he regards the woodgrain above them, trying to decide if he believed Ronin or if he was merely being shoved into the description of dragon so as not to be offended. "I am not sure I believe you. When I proposed, I don't think at any point you went, Ah. This man is suitably terrifying when he works in a group."

Rolling onto his stomach, careful to move the flask so as not to inadvertently stain their sheets with it, Remi gives his head a shake. "Well I can't very well do it now. I know what the answers are supposed to mean so I couldn't answer honestly." He points with a grin. "Then again, I think I would have said my favourite water was either summer rainfalls or quiet woodland streams, so take from that what you like." Remi did have a tendency to become inappropriately sappy in the middle of sex, but he also liked things rough to the point of concern at times.

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

"Oh I would never. You'll be my little dragon secret," Ronin murmurs with a sneaky grin against his neck. Though there's nothing little about you, he adds, stretching out to blanket his husband and very happily savouring the warmth starting to build between them. His sleepiness has subsided to a dopey sort of laziness instead, and he peeks up at Remi to scoff as he replies, however logical it might be.

"You are terrifying when you work in a group, though," he adds, smooching a kiss against his cheek. "And I suppose that's acceptable. I can see you as a summer rainfall." Ronin grins. At last, he flops back onto his side that he might nestle into Remi's shoulder, his eyes slipping shut even as he fumbles for their wine flask. "Thirsty?"

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

"Oh now I'm a secret?" Remi whispers, scandalized. "Way to make me feel like we're back in Northaven." He adds, though doesn't sound particularly upset about it. Especially not with Ronin's compliment purring into his mind. "You keep this up, and I will tug us both down into a dream so I can have you all over again." Remi threatens, letting his hands happily wander of his husband's body now that there's feeling back in his fingertips.

'I am only terrifying by comparison." Remi argues. "And only because it is usually more effective and efficient." Being a manticore just was the fastest way to get rid of annoying hels or to fell trees.

A summer rainfall might mean he came on quickly, was done in a flash? Smelled...good? He didn't know. "Of course I am. I'm a summer rain, remember?" The alchemist agrees, before borrowing some of his husband's zesty personality, and opening his mouth so that Ronin might just pour the wine in.

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

"Well, if you ever feel like spicing it up in the bedroom, there's a ready made roleplay for us," Ronin says with a boyish chuckle, shifting to lean up on one elbow while he opens their flask of mulled wine. "Mm, dream sex is best when we've just had real sex," he murmurs, not at all putting a dampener on the idea. "I never feel like I'm missing out on anything that way."

More than content to enjoy the feeling of warm, calloused fingertips roving over his skin, Ronin glances down at his husband with unfettered adoration. "Summer rains can be sudden, and they can either be gentle and warm, or hard and heavy." He winks. "Nothing is quite as refreshing or unpredictable." Has he rescued it? Who knows.

Either way, it's nothing that pouring wine down Remi's throat won't fix. "Now don't choke," Ronin warns wickedly, tilting the flask to the Lullaby's lips so he can drink his fill.

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's mind drifts with the idea and within seconds he's leaning his head back against his pillow and laughing. "Sorry, sorry." He mumbles gleefully. "I was just imagining me wearing some hand-sewn costume of a dragon that drooped in all the wrong places. Or being in a dream with you where you were a knight and I was a dragon you were meant to slay." Absolutely none of it was a turn on, which of course is what made it all the more amusing.

"Mmm, I agree." He says of dreamsex, and were it not for the very real wine on offer, he might have sent them off to sleep that instant.

"Oho." Wanting to say something witty in return—yes, Ronin absolutely had saved it— all Remi can manage isj a predictably sappy smile that lights up his whole face. "You're heavy and hard." He quips back weakly, still beaming and feeling butterflies cascade through his stomach.

"You've always wanted to say that, haven't you?" Remi wonders, tilting his head slightly and making inarticulate go ahead sounds and then no more sounds.

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

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!