[SE] a matter of strategy

and on to the glory at my right hand

"And I am so glad you agree," Ronin mumbles between kisses, even as his fingers try to escape beneath Remi's shirt. He is far from blind to the differences between them when it comes to their respective strength, but given how long they've been together (and how long Remi has been the stronger of them - basically since Ronin returned from the sky), it's a comfortable inequality, if such a thing exists.

Before that though barely registers at first, the Huntsman considering whether his desk would buckle under whatever they plan to do on it or against it, and only when Remi mentions Hotaru's name does he properly pay attention - doubtlessly as Remi always knew he would. Because the Lullaby is ready as a smattering of dragonscale shimmers down Ronin's neck, as he tries to disentangle himself, and a soft growl rumbles in his chest as he finds himself restrained, however lovingly.

"You always know just what to say," he says, riding the words out on a sigh and rolling his shoulders as if to shut the door on his lust. "I'm sorry to hear that," he murmurs once he's wrestled a bit of self-control back, reaching up to smooth the other man's curls back out of his face. "Is there anything we can do to help them stay safe?"

ronin

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

the lullaby

Love isn't all that it seems
I did you wrong

"I know." Remi says both in agreement and to reassure. The change in colour beneath his fingertips is abrupt, and had he not expected it, Remi might have recoiled at the way draconic darkness had so quickly blotted out the molten sunshine he'd felt only moments before. "I know."

Pulsing his legs around Ronin as if the flare of pressure between them might somehow settle the Huntsman, Remi opts to take the straightest path through what he meant to say, even if it was perhaps the most difficult. "I think there is, though I would like your opinion. So far I have...the healing spring water and the beetle husk, and..the rapier." Remi begins, tilting his head into Ronin's fingers and trying to keep his husband's gaze held steadily within his own. "It seems silly to keep all three, but I do not know which is best to part with. We are so strong on our own, perhaps it ought to be the rapier, and yet...it could be such an advantage. The beetle husk needs to be shoved down the throat of whatever it is to be killed, so as powerful as that is, I cannot imagine Flora or Enzo being in a situation where it would help them. And the water..." Remi sighs and shakes his head softly. "If the giant in Stormbreak was anything to go off of, we might need it." Pausing, the Lullaby reconsiders. "I am almost sure that we will need it. Which means the best thing to do is given them the rapier, but..."

Well, that would mean giving a relic to a teenager.

I'll stay here with you
Until this dream is gone

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

and on to the glory at my right hand

I know, Remi says, and yet he did it anyway. It takes a few moments for the cold, black flood of emotion to finish boiling against the lust that had been so well kindled only seconds before, and when it does there is no doubt that Ronin is uncomfortable more than he's accepting of the situation, but he's here at least. Present, and wanting to help.

"Well," he says slowly, letting his hands slip down to Remi's shoulders and leaning in to rest his forehead against the Lullaby's, "as useful as all three items are, do either of the twins know how to use a sword? To fight with one?" He hates to be the bearer of logical circumstances, but gods, here they are.

"If they knew how I'd agree with you, but what if they never get the chance to use it? Or if they fumble with it and it gets stolen, or used on them?" He shakes his head. "I... I don't know," he admits fully. "It's true that the water might be necessary for us, but we can't die." Not unless very specific circumstances are met, anyway. "And they can."

ronin

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

the lullaby

Love isn't all that it seems
I did you wrong

Closing his eyes, Remi leans against his husband. Trickling his fingers through Ronin's dark hair, he tries to soothe away what barbs he can, while knowing better than to try and force them back inside. Emotions needed to be felt, and for better or worse the Taliesin's felt their emotions very strongly. Pulling in a slow breath, Remi shakes his head against Ronin's. "Not that I know of. Flora has her...feathers, but that is all."

Grumbling, but only because Ronin was right and so Remi's one and only suggestion had been reduced to a terrible idea, the Lullaby sighs. "Right." It sounds as though he's trying to convince himself more than being in agreement with Ronin, even though the Huntsman is absolutely correct. "I guess..." Even here, alone in Ronin's office, he can't bring himself to say the words out loud. I know how selfish it is, but I would give away any weapon to try and keep you safe. No, they couldn't die. Not easily anyways, but that didn't mean Remi wanted to see Ronin in pain, or worse, reduced down to a coma that would take seasons to break.

"Maybe the husk, then." He whispers softly, eyes still closed. "If anything comes at them...maybe someone else can be the one to use it."

I'll stay here with you
Until this dream is gone

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

and on to the glory at my right hand

Nuzzling closer to his husband and able to feel the heavy ooze of his sadness and disappointment, Ronin gives Remi's shoulders a gentle squeeze. "It isn't that I don't think it could be done," he says, only to trail off to hear the Lullaby's voice in his mind, bright and painful at the same time. You keep me safe just by being around me, he informs him, sneaking a quick kiss as if to reinforce the fact that Remi has managed to soothe his temper merely by virtue of being there.

"Either the beetle husk, or they ought to have some swordsmanship training first," he says as a compromise. "I know you don't use blades, but I know enough from my training days. It's just whether the twins would accept that from me." And he wouldn't blame them for not wanting to.

ronin

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

the lullaby

Love isn't all that it seems
I did you wrong

How quickly the heat in his belly had descended down into his feet, making him feel weighted and tethered in a moment he wished to flee from. And one day if that is not enough? Remi wonders, the words ringing in his mind like a struck anvil in a quiet room. Unable to help the smile that splits his lips even as unease and frustration curl his shoulders forward, Remi sighs softly against his husband's cheek.

"I stupidly gave my compass to Phoebe for the time being so that she could visit her son in Torchline. Had I kept it for the twins..." Then they could simply have evaded danger instead of being hastily taught how to face it. "Gods why couldn't they have just gone to the Haven." Remi snarls then, his frustration (both sexual and paternal) sharply contorting his tone into something almost unintelligible.

I'll stay here with you
Until this dream is gone

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

and on to the glory at my right hand

One day isn't here yet, and it might never be, Ronin points out, shifting closer if only so he can bonelessly relax against his husband, tilting his head to rest it against Remi's shoulder. And as they so often seem to, as the Lullaby's temper flares this time, the Huntsman is already there to soothe it, and he runs his hands down the length of the other man's back and shoulders, like trying to smooth down imaginary hackles.

"Did they say why they weren't going to go to the haven?" he wonders softly. "You would think that with Mateo going there, they'd want to make sure he was alright." But there isn't any point dwelling on that. Smiling at the mention of the compass, Ronin shrugs his shoulders as if making a simple decision. "They can have mine," he says.

ronin

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

the lullaby

Love isn't all that it seems
I did you wrong

How they ebb and flow like this Remi doesn't know, but gods if it isn't precisely what he needs. Leaning the side of his head against Ronin's and clasping his hands together around his husband, Remi lets his eyes slip shut once more, selfishly basking in the dark current of Ronin's heartbeat.

"Something about not being children and wanting to experience the world. How we were technically at war when we were their age.." Remi trails off, not needing to add the implied blah blah blah. But then, of course, Ronin goes and fixes everything with such smooth ease that the Lullaby actually flinches as he straightens. Searching the blue of his husband's eyes, Remi tries and fails to stop his mouth from opening and closing like a fish. "...you utterly brilliant man." Beaming, he leans forward to freckle Ronin's cheeks with kisses.

"Come potrei essere così stupido? Certo che funzionerà! Perché non ho pensato a quell'idea? Dios, sei molto molto intelligent." He sings between kisses.

I'll stay here with you
Until this dream is gone

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

and on to the glory at my right hand

Grumbling at that and rolling his eyes, Ronin is only grumpy about it because the twins are technically right, and they absolutely were. Ronin had been training to be a Storm Guard for years already by the time he'd been Flora and Enzo's age. It didn't mean he had to be happy about this, though.

Luckily, apparently he is an utterly brilliant man, and by the time he's shifted to straighten up a bit he's already being lovingly assaulted with kisses, the Huntsman rumbling out a laugh and not trying to stop Remi even in the slightest. "Mm, I'll be whatever you want me to be as long as you keep talking like that," he says sunnily, sneaking in to kiss Remi's neck so he isn't stopping the music from tumbling from his lips.

"It isn't like we need them," he says of the compasses. "They are just convenient. So at least this way the twins can stay safe."

ronin

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

the lullaby

Love isn't all that it seems
I did you wrong

"Non potrei amarti di più se ci provassi." Remi hums, holding the trill of his r's longer than was required so that Ronin might feel the vibrations of the sounds against his lips. "Anche se ho intenzione di provare..." That the Huntsman won't know what is being said doesn't change the lascivious tone with which it's sang. Indeed, Remi's fingers unknot from around Ronin's back and tumble to his waist where they untuck the Commander's Very Professional Looking Shirt.

Pausing suddenly, Remi lifts his sea-glass stare, suddenly looking quite boyish and hesitant as opposed to the mischievous whirlwind he's just been. "Thank you." He whispers, leaning forward to softly press his lips against Ronin's, before letting his tongue invite something more.

I'll stay here with you
Until this dream is gone

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

and on to the glory at my right hand

"Mmm..." Ronin hums agreeably, despite Remi being absolutely correct in his consideration that the Huntsman hasn't got a clue what sweet nothings are being purred through the other man's throat. It doesn't matter either, not with the heat of the Lullaby's body and the mischief in his hands telling the story for him. Shifting a little to make it easier for Remi to untuck his shirt (tut tut, he's a Commander, you know), Ronin glances up just in time to be caught in a green gaze.

His lips part to respond, but they're similarly captured only a moment later, and he melts into it not with the clumsy enthusiasm of a teenager this time, but with the love of a man who has it all and knows how lucky he is. Always, he murmurs in return, even though it's not strictly a response to thank you. It seems to fit nonetheless.

ronin

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

the lullaby

Love isn't all that it seems
I did you wrong

It's the sort of kiss that has Remi's knees growing weak. The sort that is slow and sweet, and though no part of him wants to rush it, gods but he wants more. It's nothing new of course, Remi always wants more of Ronin, but in moments like this, it's a near-tangible thing that no amount of razor-sharp teeth or serrated claws can bring closer. All Remi can do is sip in a shivery breath as his palm rises up Ronin's back that he might draw the Huntsman even nearer. Feathers ruffle up the base of his neck and into his curls as his tongue pleads in articulate patterns for more.

From outside of Ronin's door comes the sharp rap rap! of knuckles and the shuffle of a few pairs of boots. "Commander?" Inquires a voice as the doorknob is given an experimental turn.

I'll stay here with you
Until this dream is gone

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

and on to the glory at my right hand

It's precisely the sort of kiss that makes the rap! rap! at the door feel laughably far away, especially as his tongue continues to write sweet nothings against Remi's own and his hands clasp the other man closer. He has every intention of taking his time with whatever happens next, indulging in the man he's married twice now as if it was the first time they'd been given the chance to properly do this.

And so one might think that Ronin is exacting some sort of payback when he finally registers the interruption and backs away from Remi, but the truth is that it's just as painful for him to let go of the moment. "One moment!" he calls, leaning in for a final, chaste kiss against his husband's lips.

"Go home and wait for me," he whispers with a grin. "Or as far home as you can get before I catch up to you."

ronin

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

we are like birds of a feather, we are two hearts thrown together

Groaning unhappily as Ronin pulls away, Remi might have suggested that they just keep quiet and pretend that the office was empty until Ronin called out a reply. "I hate your sense of duty and your work ethic." The Lullaby complains sweetly. Sliding off the desk, he trots a step or two to reach Ronin and quickly pick-pockets his compass away from him, before shifting into a small ball of pale feathers and wings.

One of us has a lot of making up to the other. He says, peering up at Ronin. One might think it was Ronin given that it was his work which was interrupting their Afternoon Delight, but in reality, it was probably still Remi. It would probably always be Remi.

Just remember, the longer you take, the longer I have to be upset about it. The hawk warns; more time = more tentacles. Rising into the air the hawk slips out of Ronin's open window and towards the postoffice that the might send off the compass to Torchline.

~FIN

THE ALCHEMIST

we will be forever as one, my brother under the sun