Young Writers Society

@BluesClues not to spoil the story for you but it has a disgustingly sweet finale. True happy ending. Almost fairytale like.

GOOD that is all I want for these two <3

@BluesClues the hints of a happy ending will become more apparent in the next few chapters as more characters are introduced.

Week 8 - 3.1 - 1474 words

Within a few minutes of leisurely riding, the pair soon reached the building on the opposite end of town that served as both Hal’s shop and their lodgings. In some ways, the entire building felt like a museum to the reaper’s unique interests. Some of it fit the role they were playing. A dealer of books and antiquities was expected to have a certain amount of goods in their stock. At other times though the need to be surrounded by objects felt like a reflection of Hal’s inability to remember their past life.
Unfortunately, the ride back to their quarters had been rather quiet and had left Hal too alone with their thoughts. They had not even made an attempt to start up a conversation until their horse neared the small stable that rested to the back of the building. The quarters they had built for this horse were far better than most of the places Hal had slept while in the army. But then Hal had always made sure the horse had better accommodations than they did when pennies needed to be pinched.
Just as Hal was about to dismount, Monty suddenly spoke, one hand reaching back to caress the reaper’s thigh.
“Thank you for the ride home, Hirschel. Hopefully I won’t be too sore to make the ride again later.”
It was hard to ignore the way that the comment dripped like honey off of a toasted piece of bread. An emerging theme with Monty was his desire to say filthy things to the reaper while they were in the most public of places. Priorities though insisted that they talk before anything else they desired to complete.
“Are you sure I can’t interest you in a drink before we head up the stairs?”
The reaper asked their question while still pressed against Monty’s form. They had realized at some point in their ride that the growing tightness must have been quite obvious to the lawyer. Hal had made no attempt to rearrange themself or give an apology to the pressure.
Not with what they had just done in their office during the morning hours. Even if Monty found them to be a monster after completion of their conversation, Hal would still have those initial happy memories. And the six months of awkward conversation that had led up to the first few seconds of their skin touching as lovers.
“I think I might wait to have a drink until after I’ve heard all about your story.”
Hal slipped down out of the saddle in a similarly smooth motion to their method of mounting. They could see the way that Monty was looking at them as they extended out a hand to help the man down off the horse.
“And what then? If you are satisfied with my story?”
“Then I would like to explore the room of your lodging that you have not allowed me to spend any time in before now.”
It did not take a great amount of brilliance to know that the man was requesting to go to Hal’s bedroom. The only problem that stood in their way was the long hall and a number of suitable tables with a good deal of support.
They put the horse away with only a few more minutes of flirtation. Hands touching hands - fingers touching fingers - all in a much too dangerous manner. Monty barely flinches when Hal presses their hand into the small of the man’s back and escorts him through the back door of the building.
“I think you know the way up to the parlor. If you’ll go on ahead, I have something that I want to check here.”
Hal released their grip on Monty, walking away to the front of the shop. Some small part of Monty had hoped that the man might turn back around, push him up against the wall, and kiss him as deeply as he desired to feel.
“Go upstairs, Monty. I’ll only be a few moments!” Hal called from the other room, obviously aware that their lover was not ascending the stairs as instructed. He slowly climbed the stairs, even waiting for a moment on the crowded landing. Again hoping that Hal might decided to corner him. When reaching the top of the stairs though his attraction momentarily faded.
“Whatever is this mess, Hirschel?” Monty quietly asked, having no intention of letting the other man hear him. He looked into Hal’s office, piles of clothes strewn about the room and one shattered bust in the middle of the oriental rug.
Monty had not spent much time in any other place beyond the shop itself and Hal’s usually well kept office. He did know though that there was something off about the whole place. A feeling that came rushing towards him tenfold as Monty tried to sort out the state of the room.
“I see you found the mess I left when I was rushing out of here to come to your offices.”
Monty turned around from his position at a pile of shirts to see Hal leaning against the doorway. The man’s pants were slowly slipping from their hips with their belt hanging over their shoulder. Hal reached out for him, taking the few shirts from his hands, and gently placing them on the desk.
“My lovely Monty, there is no need for you to be tending to my clothing. I have barely begun to court you and I imagine I am very far away from making you my wife.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at Hal’s usual amount of wit. It was an uncomfortable situation on a terrible day, but it didn’t feel like it was so dark. Not when Hal stooped down to kiss him, hands pressing against once innocent areas.
“I am grateful that my knight should come to my aid, but I think I can only repay you by reorganizing your clothing.”
“I can think of a better way to repay me for my chivalrous deed, my love.”
Monty bit his tongue, forcing himself to not give any sort of reply. Instead, he put all of his efforts into kissing the bit of Hal that was at his eye level - the man’s beautiful, slightly scarred, but extremely muscled chest. Still, to Monty, every inch was as wonderful as a marble statute that sat in some European museum. He could feel Hal reacting to the attention and felt a stab of sorrow each time the reaper interrupted him.
Even if it was with touches of appreciation.
Pulling up Monty by some of his loose hairs, Hal stopped him in his process. They lifted his chin, looked down at him, and plainly asked, “You do understand that I’m not human, don’t you? I would think most humans would have more apprehension about bedding down with someone from another world.”
Hal found their fingers becoming more and more tightly wound in the Scotsman’s lovely red curls. With each movement of their fingers, Monty melted further into their chest with the purr of a domesticated feline.
“Perhaps most humans would have an issue with it, but ancient mythologies illustrate a picture of humans who are not so disturbed with such an idea.”
“I take it then that you are one of the humans who are not disturbed at the thought of being fully taken by an unknown being.”
“You are not an unknown being, my dove. You are the gorgeous man with striking cheekbones,” Monty paused to move his kisses to Hal’s blushing cheeks. He kissed softly until he reached the reaper’s neck and then continued, “The man who has been distracting me for months on end with their wonderful wit and piercing eyes.”
“Was it just my eyes that were distracting you, my love?”
Unbothered by the flirtation, Monty continued on with his playful rant about the amount of time that Hal had wasted.
“Do you know how much more work I could have completed in the past six months if I didn’t spend every lunch hour staring across at you in absolute awe?”
“I’ll try not to waste too much more of your time.”
With that comment, Hal picked up the speed of their intimate actions. Once again taking Monty by the shoulders and throwing him against an object. This time it was the stuffed couch rather than the hard wood of their desk - an extremely appreciated change on Monty’s part.
Together, they sunk into the settee, Monty’s fingers running through Hal’s dark black hair as the reaper messed about with the buttons on both of their jackets. Once their hands made it down to the last set of buttons, they gave Monty another gentle forehead kiss, and politely asked, “Are you sure that you won’t scream?”
“I won’t scream at your truth unless you want me to perform such an act.”

Some small part of Monty had hoped that the man might turn back around, push him up against the wall, and kiss him as deeply as he desired to feel.

do it to him, coward

Jk since they end up more or less there by the end, hehe <3

@BluesClues yes…more or less.

Week 9 - 3.2 - 1,218 words

Haller could not help but to relax under each of Monty’s careful touches. They both likely knew that the conversation was coming. For their part, Hal was still clinging to the pleasure that might fade after they revealed the inner part of their soul. Or as an even more fearful thought, they realized that Monty might be attracted to them for the reason that they were unhuman.
As Monty broke apart from them to catch his breath, Hal mustered up the courage to quickly state, “I am not human, but I am more than an alien monster.”
“I’m aware that you’re not human. And I have been aware for a series of months that you were not quite like the men I usually keep company with.”
The mystery of Montgomery Magill was not going to be a one day solution on Hal’s part. In all of their decades on the planet, they had only revealed their true identity to a few mortal beings. There had been one or two people that came close to thinking that Hal wasn’t there in the right way, but as far as they knew, Monty was the first to put it so plainly.
They ran their fingers across Monty’s temple, pushing his hair towards the edge of his skull, and being perfectly amused when the curls bounced back into place. Hal was still smiling as they asked, “Did you have a guess before today as to what I might be?”
“After witnessing your actions, even before today, I am certain that your true career has something to do with handling death. Though I can’t be exactly sure of what you are as a being.”
“I am what your world would think of as a grim reaper.”
The man before them broke out into a fit of laughter. Fearing it as a sign of hysteria, Hal quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and attempted to sooth Monty.
“Please, Montgomery, please calm yourself.”
Monty took Hal’s hands off his shoulders with a gentle push and an audible sigh. When the reaper pulled their arms into their chest, Monty pulled the hands back to his shoulders. His laughter only stopped when he realized the laughter was causing distress to his lover.
Returning his callused hands to Hal’s cold cheekbones, Monty kissed their forehead again, looking down as he said, “Oh, Hirschel, you misunderstand my state. My laughter is over what have you done to me, physically and emotionally, that wouldn’t make me think twice about you being a grim reaper.”
“What exactly have I done to you, Monty? Has it been something terrible 0r-”
“Far from terrible, my lovely Hal. You have made me fall in love with you without kissing me once before this day.”
Taking it as a cue to further reveal their skill, Hal pushed Monty down onto the couch with another kiss. Their souls, for just the briefest moment, began to combine as their warmth invaded each others’ bodies. Neither man noticed anything about their surroundings beyond the feeling of their forms melting together into one being before the universe.
Monty was completely calm as he whispered, between gasping breaths, “Well, now you certainly will be attending lunch with me when tomorrow comes.”
The reaper pushed themself up onto their arms, keeping themself in suspension above the beautiful man that was laid out on their chaise. Sweat dripped down Hal’s forehead, the gears clicking back in forth in their head as they tried to decide how to respond.
Still not knowing what to say, they simply asked, “What?”
“I expect you to be in my company for both lunch and an evening appointment in your bedroom.”
Before Hal could ask if Monty would prefer to have the evening appointment following their session in the parlor, their lover continued with their plan of events.
“At the luncheon, I will expect you to pay for my sandwich and ale.”
“And at the evening appointment in my home?”
Hal shifted on the couch so that they could have Monty lay on their chest as he explained the proceedings. The lawyer barely noticed the change, simply allowing Hal to move him with the wonderful, long, strong fingers…
Fingers that Monty couldn’t help but to stare at when they came into his line of vision.
Attempting to keep his feelings about Hal’s fingers in check, Monty continued, “I will expect you to take use of the bed. While the skin rug of your office was very pleasurable on my skin, I think I would prefer an actual mattress if you’re going to go further with me.”
“Is that it?”
“Well, I think we still will have to attend to the outside world and talk to those investigators once again.”
“I wouldn’t have thought you would want to go anywhere with me after what you’ve just seen of me. Much less go to lunch with me and then go on to my bed.”
“Hirschel - Hal - you’ve just told me that you’re a somewhat immortal space creature who is responsible for gathering up people’s souls so that they won’t interfere with the functions of this planet.”
“Yes-”
“And do you know what my job is, Hal?”
“You’re a lawyer. That’s the second thing I found out about you after your name.”
“I am a lawyer, but do you know exactly what I do?”
“No, I don’t think I do. I know that you’re presently working on government contracts to for a new ship yard and I think you used to be a lawyer for the military courts.”
Monty pulled away from the loving embrace, moving to straddle Hal as different streams of thought passed through his mind. The reaper could see all of the warning signs of a man troubled by his past - it was look that Hal had often seen as they looked into the mirror of their office.
“You, Hal, have truly been a soldier.”
“I’ve been a soldier, yes, for about a hundred thousand years. What of it? Were you not in the military yourself?”
“I was a soldier only in the name that I had a rank and was employed by the British army. Sometimes to prosecute soldiers accused of heinous crimes and other times to defend soldiers who had done such crimes. There were many men who passed by my sight who felt justice, but there were far more who experienced injustice.”
Hal moved their hands up Monty’s thighs to his waist in attempt to stabilize him. The lawyer slid his hands down to meet Hal’s but didn’t push the man’s grip away like he had done before.
“There was a lot I wish I could have done during the war,” Monty paused as a choking cry rose out of his throat. “There’s a lot of wrongs that I still have to right by the work I’m trying to do now. I left the army because I knew I would get nothing done while I was still in their hold.”
“Monty-”
“So you see then? That you are collecting the souls of those who are already dead seems like a fairly light business to the likes of me.”
Hal reached out their fingers once more, pulling their lawyer tight to their chest, and making a promise with themself to never let the man go.

“So you see then? That you are collecting the souls of those who are already dead seems like a fairly light business to the likes of me.”

o h :cries:

Dang, when Monty laughed in response to learning Hal was what we'd call a grim reaper I was like "awwwww he doesn't care!!! he barely even believes it!!!" but then I got HERE and you ripped my heart out--

@BluesClues i guess i forgot to tell you that the undercurrent of this work is that hal knows they can't be human and monty feels like he's no longer human so that's why they understand each other so well and why their souls eventually combine together in a much more literal way.

Oh <3

@BluesClues it's still a happily ever after. it's a happily ever after because they're only made for each other.

Week 10 - 3.3 - 1,094 words

“While you have such a tight hold on me, Hal, may I ask something further of you?”
“I will do most anything that you ask of me, my pet.”
“Could you loosen your arms enough so that I might get a full inhale on my next breath? I love that you love me with all of your strength, but it is constricting my air ways.”
The reaper shifted their grip very slightly, loosening it enough so that Monty could rise from their chest. Their lover moved back into comfortable straddling position. Haller knew that the position was just as much about teasing their intentions as actually escaping discomfort.
“Monty, will you let me show you how much I love you?” They paused to take one of the lawyer’s hands in their own. The reaper’s kisses made it all the way up to Monty’s elbow before the man released an audible gasp.
“Aren’t you already showing me how much you love me, Hirschel? Didn’t you show me everything this morning?”
“Not quite everything, my pet. If you would recall, I haven’t yet had the chance to show you into my bedroom.”
Hal suddenly moved their positions as they finishing saying the word ‘bedroom’. Their lover was light in their arms as they carried them in the way a groom might carry their new bride. Monty had not enough time to protest or even think of complaining before he was laying on the reaper’s bed. Though, it was not likely that the man would be inclined to complain about being taken to bed.
Not with the places that Hal had taken him during their six months of abstinence disguised as courtship. The courtship of course that was outwardly perceived as a developing professional friendship between two (once) military men who were lonesome for intelligent conversation.
All of these thoughts of perception ran through Haller’s mind as they finished undressing themself. In a prone position on the bed, Monty also took the cue to shed the remainders of his garments. When they were both in a glorious state rebirth, Hal locked their bedroom doors, checked the drapes were closed tightly, and finally began to relax into the comfort of the candle lit room.
“What is on your mind, my dove? Do you fear that someone may peer through your second story window to take an aim at your behaviors?”
“I think my neighbors would be quite surprised to see anyone in my bedroom, whether or not they realized it was a man.”
“Is your life so lonely?”
Monty smiled and smirked as he asked the question, looking up to Hal with his deep green eyes. The reaper leaned down to kiss him and felt the full shock of surprise when Monty pulled them back onto the bed. They fell together in their comfortable method of letting their souls grab at each other from across the deep expanse. It was if they were two parts of a broken piece of porcelain that someone had pushed back together with a heavy coating of mortar.
Pulling back from their deep embrace, Hal made an attempt at catching their breath. Never in their decades on Earth, or for many centuries before their arrival, had there ever been a man who tired them out this much.
They gave their love a few more gentle kisses along his throat and jaw. Hal reached Monty’s lips once again, steadying their form above the other man, and slowly explained, “No, my life is far from lonely. I’ve just promised myself a special person and have been waiting for the right time to properly take them into my life.”
Their lover began again with his laughter. Monty took his fist between his teeth, trying to stifle the sound in an attempt to not disrupt their loving mood. Soon, the man could not contain himself and let the fit of happiness take over his body.
Once he recovered his own breath, Monty found a neutral smile as he boldly said, “Yes, well, wedding arrangements are rather tedious affairs.”
“When did I promise you a wedding? I don’t even know yet if you have a suitable dowry? Now really, Monty, would I propose a permanent relationship without asking your father for your hand in marriage?”
Hal and Monty collapsed back together in another exchange of laughter. It was something they had done many times over their luncheons. Starting usually with Monty giggling at one of Hal’s jokes or tales of men they had served in the military with. And it usually became a disturbance to the point that they drew the attention of others in York Brothers tavern.
At this time though Hal was happy to have Monty’s laughter all to themself. They held back their own laughter as they kissed all of their favorite spots on their lover’s beautiful body. Monty’s laughter turned to giggling as Hal touched on the more sensitive spots. When their lover ran the calloused fingers through their sleek hair, pulling Hal back up to his chest, the reaper found the words they had been looking for.
“This morning…this morning was not how I wanted our first time together to be. From the moment I saw you at that party, I’ve wanted to bring you to this bed and show you how gentle I can be.”
“Did you think that I didn’t think you could be gentle?”
“Well, you did relate Friedrich’s report of me during one of our luncheon sessions.”
“I am not so easily swayed by the love lost ramblings of a Germanic army man with wandering eyes.”
With their hands running back up Monty’s well muscled thighs, Hal leaned back down to kiss the man’s stomach. The first time they had engaged in real touch - real intimacy - it had been a rushed affair. This time the reaper was planning to make the most of every moment they could take from the other man.
“Do you love me, Monty?”
“What do you think?”
Hal gently bit into the man’s thigh as their own response to the moment of smartness. They returned to their process of testing boundaries as they placed more and more gentle bites on the rosy, muscular thighs of their favorite lawyer. The reaper shifted to give one long kiss in one of Monty’s most sensitive spots. After receiving another groan from Monty, they proceeded with asking their question again.
“Answer me seriously - do you love me, Mr. Magill?”
“I love you, Herr Williamson. More than I ever knew I was capable of feeling for any other being.”

Week 11 - Past Life Interlude 1.1 (4th chapter in sequence) - 1,072 words

Roque Haller had never been a man to be intimidated by their surroundings. Their usual levels of confidence were the envy of many beings within and beyond the bounds of their home world.
All of their credentials and accomplishments in line, it was rather crude to say that they were not often shaken. Not often being the key phrase in such a statement. It allowed for rare moments like the one they were walking towards at the other end of the regiment hall.
The friendly wave, followed by a friendlier call for ‘Lord Haller’, would not usually shake them. Here, though, the case was that the wave came from the hand of the man whose bed Roq had woken up in. The very comfortable bed of Captain Lagrain Waite.
On their slow approach of Waite, they quickly realized that the man was standing with an unknown chancellor and the regiment commander. Roque quickened their pace and straightened their posture, arriving just in time to hear their lover say, “I keep asking Lord Haller to take me out into the countryside, but-”
“I think ‘begging’ is more the term that I would use, Captain. You seem rather desperate to see the bit of land that I emerged from.”
Roque chose their words very carefully as they eyed up their partner. Most instances of begging occurred in the bedroom, but it was true that the captain wanted to see their hometown. Waite, like the few other people who they had ever attached themselves to, had a desire to ‘meet the parents’. A human sort of tradition that would be impossible for this thousand year old being who only had their title through the death of their parents.
“Where is it that you’re from that is so interesting, Lord Haller?”
This question came from the Federation chancellor. Roque could not immediately place the woman. They knew that they were supposed to know her identity, but their knowledge did not go much further.
“I am from the region that the Federation now calls Oddship, Madam Chancellor.”
A clerk passing by with a stack of files audibly gasped when Roque named their birthplace. They saw the files tilt back and forth as the clerk regained balance from the shock. It was a reaction that was well known to Roque’s answer.
If others, who had never lived in the region, were afraid to even mention the place, then could they even imagine what it was like to grow up there? Roque looked to the eyes of others in the hallway. Their lover, Waite, was unaffected by giving the place a name, as was the regiment commander. The Federation chancellor only gave a slight notice of discomfort before asking another question of Roque.
“Lord Haller, are those not the abandoned farmlands that rest in the Dark Canyons? I wasn’t aware that anyone was still from there after its closure during the last war.”
Answering for Roque, Colonel Nork, the regiment commander, finally broke his silence. Putting a hand on their shoulder as a friendly gesture, he began to explain, “Madam Chancellor, you may not be aware, but Lord Haller is an ancient, well-respected warrior of our society. They have been the caretaker of this regiment for over a thousand years.”
The chancellor brought her piercing eyes around to inspect Roque. They adjusted themself once more under the watchful eye. When Nork had touched their shoulder, the statesman had felt themself slip into a state of relative comfort. Now, they had to undo the process of comfort by slowly putting their joints into stiff alignment, followed by sending back an equally cold gaze.
“My friend, Colonel Nork, is correct in his statements. I am from a time before the Federation even existed. In my role as the caretaker of this regiment, I have helped to guide many regions into the modern age, but unfortunately my own could not be saved.”
After finding their words, Roque returned to observing the process of the chancellor observing them. The woman seemed most disturbed that a thousand year old being would have less wrinkles upon their face than a human of her own age. They could feel her thinking as different likely questions circled around in her head.
Stopping her questions before she could even start, Roque chose another bold set of words. They looked quickly to Waite’s nervous eyes before saying, “Even though the Federation does not like to admit to this fact, I know personally that Oddship is not entirely abandoned. I have been back on routine visits in the past few centuries to see the life that still exists there.”
“Yes, there is life there, Lord Haller, but surely it’s not the society that you experienced as a boy. The Federation regards Oddship as abandoned and ineligible for advancement for a reason. A place filled with plants and animals is not the same as a place filled with people,” the chancellor answered. She was obviously quite confident in the statement with the way that she held herself. And promoted the Federation view of what was intelligent and what was not.
“I’m sure you are aware, Madam, that my society and yours have different ideas of intelligence and sentience. Especially among creatures that consume one air and produce another.”
“The Federation does not view plants as people, Lord Haller. If you were a plant, would you want voting rights?”
“If I were a plant, I would hope that my society would respect me enough to give me rights.”
“Do you imply, Lord Haller, that the Federation has not given enough thought to all of the lifeforms on your planet? As a member of the Federation, you all must surely be aware of the measures the powers have gone to in the effort to ensure your safety.”
“I am known to have a different views than those of your Federation. That is why I am the civilian caretaker of this regiment with no attachment to your governing powers.”
Before the chancellor had a chance to object to their explanation, Roque continued, “You are correct in one regard to the status of Oddship.”
“Am I?”
A look of shock crossed her face and the others in the party.
“To most of my people, now, Oddship is mainly seen as an ancestral home of mythology. That you might not have known, but you were correct in knowing that it is located in the Dark Canyon.”

Week 12 - Past Life Interlude 1.2 (4th chapter in sequence) - 1,212 words

Roque did not usually find themselves enjoying activities that were petty in nature. They usually preferred to talk with people in a way that showed respect on both sides of the table. That was an accepted process for beings who were in the business of making polite transactions.
Polite being the keyword.
So, for Roque Haller to show respect to another being, they preferred to have at least the chance of reciprocal respect. In their study of the chancellor, so far, Roque had decided that they were not likely to be respected. As was often the case with beings of the Federation who thought that their way was the only way to go.
They knew that they had been standing for far too long of a silence. Roque looking towards the chancellor and the Federation official looking back to their gray eyes. Waite had often commented that the color of Roque’s eyes could be haunting to another person’s soul.
Finally, the chancellor spoke. Clearly she was still lost in her disturbance though as she stated, “I think you and I shall have to continue to disagree on Federation tactics, Mr. Haller. Is it time yet for out conference meeting, Colonel Nork?”
“Yes, of course, Madam Chancellor. Lord Haller, will you still be joining my family for dinner this evening?” Nork asked, his gaze briefly turning over his shoulder to watch the chancellor walk down the hallway.
“Captain Waite and I will be glad to join you,” Roque paused to give a knowing look to their partner.
Waite took the look as a cue to pick up the joke by saying, “That is if you will be released from your servitude by then, sir.”
Before Nork had a chance to reprimand Waite or criticize Haller, the chancellor was calling for him again. The colonel gave them both a tired look, turned about on his hell, and headed towards the waiting politician. Both men stood to watch him engage with the human until the pair disappeared out of sight.
Saying nothing, they began to walk together back towards the path that Roque had started on. This lane of stones would take them out of the regiment building and into the part of the city that reminded Roque of their home. Which had been their original intention. They had set out to go to the place in the city that was as close to their home as they could get - their favorite cafe.
Knowing where the path was leading and Roque’s habits, Waite still asked, “So, Lord Haller, what was it that brought you out into the hallway? Before we were so unfortunate as to engage with the glory of the Federation.”
Roque couldn’t help to smile whenever their partner was at his best wit. It was so enjoyable to be with someone who could make them laugh when they were surrounded by people with no sense of humor. As evidenced in the moments before by the chancellor.
“If you must know, my dear Captain Waite, I was coming to ask you to join me in the tea house.”
They resisted slipping their hand in with Waite’s until they had passed the last manned guard post within the regiment’s walls. Once into the street, their fingers were suddenly intertwined and they were walking towards the Lithship House of Tea. Not exactly like what Roque had grown up with, but close enough. One wouldn’t expect there to be much left from the childhood of a soldier who was born over a thousand years ago.
Waite pressed himself further into Roque’s side the further that they walked into the Lithship district. This might be the one section of the city where they could engage in more intimacy in public. The temptation to kiss their partner was certainly always there, but they couldn’t do it yet.
Not yet.
Not when Waite was not yet a member of the Archian army. Not when their partner was still in the grasp of the Federation command. Not when they could both lose their livelihoods by admitting that they had more than a professional relationship.
“What sort of tea were you thinking about ordering,” Waite asked again, already likely knowing the answer. Of the two of them, he was the one most likely to try something new. While Roque would be most likely to order the one thing that they had been ordering for the hundreds of years that they had been a patron of the teahouse.
“My usual. Unless you can convince me to try something new and modern and-”
Waite suddenly took the joke in the statement as a cue as he pulled Roque into one of alleyways along their route. All thought of risk was gone from Roque’s mind as their secretary set about his method of convincing them. The warm kisses along their neck had them melting into the brick wall behind them.
“Waite, we need to stop,” Roque whispered. They pushed their partner away from them, gasping, and trying to focus on anything but the captain’s tight uniform.
“Why? Were you not enjoying yourself?”
Roque was certainly enjoying themself, but that wasn’t the point. They thought over their words before quietly saying, “It’s just too risky. I-I-don’t want to get caught having my way with my secretary.”
“I’d worry more about earning the reputation that you were able to be seduced by your secretary.”
“I suppose it is all about how one might look at the problem, but-”
Their partner interrupted them with another kiss. Waite moved their lips down to Roque’s chest. Each movement leaving Lord Haller with the same pattern of marks that they had left on their lover the night before. Roque let Waite continue to lead for another few kisses until they desired the helm. Roque captured as many kisses as they could before the cold started to seep into their skin and they were reminded of the tea waiting for them down the street.
“Are you ready for that cup of tea now, my love?”
“I think I am ready to be warmed up in a conventional way.”
Waite pulled them into one more tight embrace, enjoying the non-conventional method of warmth. They soon pulled themselves back apart, wiping spit from each other’s lips with free shirtsleeves. Waite pushed his fingers through Roque’s hair and they couldn’t help but let out a moan. They returned the favor by tightening Waite’s belt until the other man yelped. The pair continued to exchange attempts at correcting their composure until it was safe enough for them to walk back onto the street.
This time they stayed apart from each other as they made their way to the tea house. The event in the alleyway had proved that any sort of close contact made them too tempted to give into their desires. Their journey to the tea house ended with Roque allowing Waite to order something new for them. They relaxed into their favorite booth in a darkened corner of the establishment, gaze following Waite as the man worked through the crowds.
Just as he set their pots on the table, Roque looked up to him, gently asking, “Have you thought any more about my proposition from dinner?”
“I have.”
“Do you have an answer yet?”

Oh MY god what a place to leave off--

Also wow has Roque ever been any more relatable lol

While Roque would be most likely to order the one thing that they had been ordering for the hundreds of years that they had been a patron of the teahouse.

LOOK if you find something good, you stick with it!!!