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 Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:13 am
For as defensive as Reims was, Amarynthos took no offense. Reims was just shy and independent. No trouble with that. He himself was spoiled by Ephesus’ assistance, and before long he was standing there barefooted, in only his pants and sleeves, each rolled up.
He returned Ephesus’ kiss with one of his own, taking full advantage of Reims’ back to them.
Alastor was far less shy about it, and probably even less considerate when it came to Reims’ discomfort, but it was less about the teenagers and more about the fact that he couldn’t take his eyes off of his husband. He spoke at a volume that matched Sessrumnir’s, but he leaned in a little closer to make sure the water didn’t wash away his words before they could be heard. “Of course, with you. What were you going to do, stand around and brood? There are plenty of private places in the springs. Let them have their fun. We’ll go have our own.”
“You look nervous, Effie,” Amarynthos said softly. He raised a hand to gently cup his cheek. “Whatever happens here, it’s okay. I know you’re thinking about your magic again, aren’t you? Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Tonight will either be successful, or it will be our first step on the path to success. We’ve got a goal and none of us are quitters, so we’ll see it through to the end. When we get in the water, I’ll give you a backrub. I don’t want you to carry too much stress, you’ll make yourself sick.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:14 am
Ephesus tried to smile for Amarynthos, especially because his dads were still around, and Reims was watching, and he didn’t want Cassidy to worry about him.
It wobbled a bit and faltered. It didn’t disappear completely! But although Ephesus first leaned into Amarynthos’s touch, he ended up leaning closer so he could bury his face against his shoulder instead. Just for a moment! He just needed to compose himself!
And when he pulled back, he was smiling again.
“That sounds nice, thank you. You’ll have to let me do you, too.”
He would likely still be thinking about his magic and what they could do for Cassidy, but Amarynthos was right in that they weren’t quitters and would figure something out.
Sessrumnir snorted again with amusement, and it was definitely the heat of the springs that put a little color on his cheeks and not the way Alastor leaned closer to him so suggest they have their own fun elsewhere.
“That was what I was planning, but I think I like your idea better. What, you don’t think I’m cute when I brood?” he teased, not yet moving just to make sure the teenagers weren’t going to need anything before he and Alastor inevitably disappeared, especially after that suggestion.
Reims was focusing very hard on rolling up his sleeves, not wanting to look at or overhear any of the gross coupley things the others were doing. Or end up making faces at them. He had everything off except his pants and shirt. And his bracelet. Although he’d have to check with Cassidy to make sure it was allowed to be in the water.
He was getting anxious. He knew he was being paranoid, but what if Cassidy fell and hurt himself? What if his previous injuries prevented him from being able to get his clothes on easily? What if the swimsuit he picked out didn’t fit and--
Wait, Reims wasn’t going to be thinking about if Cassidy was wearing clothes that were too small for him.
“I’m gonna check on him,” he quietly announced, although he wouldn’t be surprised if the others were too busy thinking about making out or something to hear him.
He turned to head towards the doorway that Cassidy had gone through, reaching out to knock on the frame to announce his presence.
“You okay?” he called, not wanting to be pushy, but he just wanted to make sure!
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:15 am
“I think you’re irresistible in all states,” Alastor answered, but he kept his voice low because there were still children around and his words were for Sessrumnir only. He didn’t bother trying to peel out of his uniform; it was its own fair share of work and for now he was just enjoying the climate of the springs.
Even if it was storming above them, it didn’t seem to be bringing him any discomfort. He hadn’t reached for any of his old, achy scars once.
Amarynthos had watched as Reims went to check on Cassidy, and his attention was temporarily split between Ephesus and worrying that something might be wrong already.
His concern was quickly chased away when he heard Cassidy’s voice just a second after Reims called for him.
“I’m good, you don’t have to wait for me! I’m almost done.” He didn’t sound like he was struggling but he did sigh from behind the door a second later, and then said, “I just have to wiggle around a bit, haha. It’s the shirt. Everything fits perfectly, please tell Ephesus he did a great job picking it all out! Oh, wait. I’ve got it.”
After a few seconds of shuffling around, Cassidy appeared looking very proud of himself. His clothes were in a bundle in his arm, unfolded, but he was in the swim shirt and trunks.
His face was a little red and his hair was a little sloppier than when he’d gone in but he looked to be in good spirits.
“How’s this? You’re lucky there’s no mirror in here, it didn’t give me the chance to be vain. How bad’s my hair? There’s no fixing it, I should have braided it.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:20 am
Ephesus was worried for a moment as well, but there didn’t seem to be anything to worry about. He looked up at Amarynthos with another small smile and gave him a hug with a squeeze, and then took a step towards Reims and Cassidy.
“I could braid it for you if you’d like. It won’t take long. You too, Reims. Your hair is getting long. It looks nice,” he gently complimented, not wanting to make him self-conscious about it, but instead hoping it would encourage him in whatever he wanted to do with it.
Reims tried not to stare, but the form fitting swim outfit made it more obvious how much weight Cassidy had lost. Not that he was really built to begin with, but he had more muscle in general.
Luckily, his distress wasn’t able to build, since Ephesus had already come over to check on things. He glanced down at his hair that he’d pulled over his shoulder, and then anxiously brushed it off to fall behind his back.
“It’s fine,” he mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest, clearly unsure of how to feel about it. “Just lazy about getting it cut.” There were more important things to worry about.
Oh. Well then. Sessrumnir pressed his lips together thoughtfully, unsure of when it was okay to just… leave the children on their own. They seemed to have things under control. And Ephesus and Amarynthos were very familiar with the Springs by now.
“We’ll be down that way,” Sessrumnir decided to announce, just in case they were absolutely needed. “No running, jumping, diving--”
Maybe he was being a little too worrisome. He did know the other two from school.
“Send a message when you’re ready to head back,” he requested after a moment. Figuring they would be just fine. But he’d missed his husband, and if he was going to flirt with him like that, then how could he resist?
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:26 am
“We’ll be good,” Amarynthos promised, raising a hand to wave Sessrumnir off. “You two go relax, we’re not going to get into any trouble. We’re just here to soak. I didn’t even bring a beach ball or anything.”
Alastor wasn’t going to argue or fuss; he didn’t say it but he was sure that if they got too rowdy, Princess would show up to remind them of the rules. Amarynthos’ assurance was good enough for him. “We’ll check back in with you in a bit,” he promised. He placed a hand on the small of Sessrumnir’s back, ready to head out.
Maybe they could even be productive and see if there were any notes or old remedies for treating old wounds, here. After they had a bit of peace, first.
Cassidy hadn’t expected the adults to stay the whole time, but neither had he expected them to even be here. He wasn’t sad to see them go and the room felt a bit lighter knowing he was just going to be around people his age. Surely they were great people, but he didn’t have to worry about being on his best behavior if they were heading out.
No running, no jumping, no diving. He suddenly wanted to do all three.
“You’d help me with my hair? If you wouldn’t mind, please. I’d really appreciate it,” Cassidy answered. If he’d noticed Reims’ eyes on him, he didn’t mention it. He did glance at his hair.
“You’re going to cut it? It looks very dashing on you. Well, I understand. Don’t ever let it get as long as mine, it’s a pain to take care of,” he laughed. He set his pile of clothes off to the side and tugged his hair out of the messy bun with one hand while planting his other on his hip. It wasn’t much use when he couldn’t lift it above his head, and he tapped his foot while he tried to finagle the scrunchie out of his hair.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:27 am
Ephesus was quick to move to assist with Cassidy’s hair. He reached up and gently stopped him from tugging the scrunchie too hard, and then gently pulled it free. And since Reims was just standing there, watching like he was mesmerized by something, Ephesus turned to smile at him and handed him the scrunchie to hold.
“Would you like to sit down on the edge of the pool? You can at least get your feet wet while I fix your hair,” he suggested, already running his fingers through Cassidy’s hair like he was familiar with doing so and not even thinking about it.
Reims clicked his tongue, crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to decide if he wanted to take a running, jumping dive before the adults left. But he also didn’t want to get kicked out.
Maybe once they were gone.
As for his hair, he didn’t know what to do with it now. He couldn’t tell if Cassidy actually liked it or not, or if he was just saying that it was dashing to fill the silence. He did mention how it was a pain to take care of, so maybe he should cut it.
Not that it mattered what Cassidy thought.
He twisted the scrunchie in his hand and around his fingers, before letting it join the bracelet he wore.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:31 am
Visibly pleased with how Ephesus was pampering him, Cassidy closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. “Okay,” he agreed.
The distance between here to the pool wasn’t that far, and the floor wasn’t that wet but he was nervous again. He could blame the steam, or the heat. Maybe he was getting light headed from it! Who would know but him?
He brushed his hands off on the swim trunks and carefully made his way over to the pool. Every gesture was careful and precise, like he needed to be aware of where each piece of himself was when he lowered to sit. It took a moment to settle but when he dipped his feet into the water he sighed contentedly.
“Oh, this is nice. Reims, come sit next to me? I’m just kidding, you don’t have to. So are these springs magic or something? How does that work?”
He was doing his best not to be impatient, he was just excited! And to be fair, he was genuinely curious about it. He’d heard of ‘healing hot springs’ on Earth but he hadn’t put much stock into that. Magic didn’t really feel real on Earth.
On Jupiter it seemed so much more possible.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:32 am
Ephesus was patient as Cassidy moved to the edge of the pool, and held his hair up as he waited for him to settle down on the edge. He worked his fingers gently through his hair and started carefully brading as best he could without a proper comb or brush. A French braid, to keep his hair out of the way easier.
“I’m not sure if there’s magic, or if the minerals are just that potent when it comes to healing,” Ephesus admitted, not really sure what qualified as magic and what didn’t. “Oh, but there’s definitely a lot of magic here. You’ll have to come visit our Wonders at some point,” he invited, but then glanced anxiously over at Amarynthos.
“I mean. If that’s okay with you, Mary.” He didn’t want to just invite people to the moon when they were so protective of it! But he couldn’t wait to show Cassidy the flowers and maybe they’d see a rainbow. Seeing Earth was certainly magical.
Reims had taken a step closer to the edge when asked to sit next to Cassidy, but when he was told he was just kidding, he paused.
There was a strange tightness in his chest as he tried to figure out what he meant. Was he really just kidding? Did he want him to sit next to him? Was he going to awkwardly stand around and lean over him and Ephesus like some weirdo?
He clicked his tongue. They were supposed to be getting in the water eventually, right?
He didn’t run, or jump, or dive. But he did step off the edge of the pool and into the water close enough to splash both Cassidy and Ephesus -- the latter of which gasped from surprise.
And then gasped again when Reims surfaced and shook his head and shoulder length hair, spraying them with water.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:37 am
Cassidy sat still while Ephesus worked at his hair. The fingers felt familiar so it was easy to relax under them. He didn’t see Mary nod when Ephesus invited him to go the Moon, but Mary made sure Ephesus did.
The splash was just enough to surprise him but he didn’t have time to hold his hands up to block the water. A wave of water erupted from Reims’ entrance, splashing Cassidy quite effectively. He was laughing by the time Reims shook his head. “No fair!” he said, and kicked the water at Reims to splash him back.
“Reims, if I jump in from here, will you catch me?” he asked, leaning forward while he asked. Ephesus had already worked through enough of his hair that he wasn’t worried about messing up the braid.
Amarynthos, good boy that he was, did not run or jump into the springs like he wanted to, but he made his way to the edge, kissed Ephesus atop the head, and then sat by the side of the springs before sliding in. He’d been excited to go swimming–even if that wasn’t exactly the intended purpose of the springs–and he wanted to get in before Reims and Cassidy splashed all the water out.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:37 am
A grin pulled at his lips when Cassidy splashed back, but it disappeared the moment Cassidy asked if he would catch him and leaned forward.
Reims, with his new expression of concern, immediately had his arms out like he was ready to catch him, despite the relatively shallow water.
And then when he realized that Cassidy was probably just teasing him, he dropped his hands into the water to splash him again.
“Don’t tease me like that, I’m trying to look out for you!” he huffed, surprised with himself to even say something about it. Until then, he’d just sulked about Cassidy’s teasing. But he wasn’t Riker right now, and he didn’t have to worry about other people knowing -- whatever he’d been worried about at the time.
Figuring he only had a small window of time left to get the braid done, Ephesus quickly finished as best he could and tied off the end with a breath of relief. Now that his knees were achy from kneeling behind Cassidy, he moved over to the edge of the pool to stick his legs in.
He wasn’t too upset about being splashed, but he did want to stay out of the way, in case there were more waves of water coming his way. And he knew Mary had been excited about swimming!
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:38 am
“I’m not teasing!” Cassidy laughed, playfully kicking a little more water at Reims. “I want you to catch me!”
He was patient, but barely so. The second Ephesus moved away from him, Cassidy launched himself into the water, right at Reims.
He could tell how deep it was by where the water went up to on Reims, so he wasn’t worried about hurting himself in the process. He was more interested in seeing if Reims could get his arms up in time to grab him. If not, the worst thing that happened was that they’d bump into each other, and even then he wasn’t going fast enough for either of them to get hurt in the process.
Amarynthos looked at the two of them with amusement, but he’d already drifted over to the side of the pool so he could stand by where Ephesus was sitting. Without thinking about it much, he scooped up two handfuls of water and poured them each over Ephesus’ knees before he absently started massaging them.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:39 am
Cassidy’s leap into the water indeed had him crashing into Reims, who also had his arms back up and ready again. But he lost his footing on some uneven ground as he was pushed back.
While he didn’t end up dragging them both under the water, he did tighten his hold on Cassidy with one arm, and flung out his other to catch himself. Distribute surface area. Whatever sciencey answer there was for trying to stop himself from falling in water. It mostly worked since he hadn’t gone under and straightened back up with an exasperated look at Cassidy, who he had yet to let go.
“Just because you have access to some magical healing springs doesn’t give you permission to be reckless,” he said, as if he hadn’t just jumped in himself or wasn’t also reckless.
Ephesus watched Reims and Cassidy with fondness, but it was soon directed to Amarynthos. He was so kind and sweet, always taking care of him even if he wasn’t actively thinking about it. Or if he was, the gestures were so casual and gentle.
While the other two were distracted, Ephesus reached out to place his hands against Mary’s cheeks and tilt his head up enough for a kiss -- a silent thanks and gesture of affection.
And then Ephesus lowered his hands to Amarynthos’s shoulders, as though preparing to stabilize himself as he leaned forward.
“I can get in,” he said, because while he wasn’t sure how he felt being in the water with the others, even if he trusted them, he knew Amarynthos would keep him safe. Not just physically, but if he started getting overwhelmed and needed a break, he knew Amarynthos would be able to tell.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:48 am
“Are you scolding me?” Cassidy asked, but he was laughing again. “I told you I wasn’t teasing!”
He thought he could have gotten away with just floating in the water, especially with Reims’ arm around him, but instead he planted his feet on the ground to try and help get some stability. He didn’t want to accidentally knock them both in the water, even if they were both wet now.
“I wasn’t reckless, I know I’m safe with you. So everything went according to plan. Thank you for catching me. Even if I knew you would.”
Amarynthos, appeased by the fact that Reims and Cassidy were fine and not getting hurt or giving each other too much trouble, just smiled up at Ephesus.
He placed his hands on Ephesus’ hips to help guide him in. “If you get tired of being in the water, you can sit on my shoulders, too. If we stay over here, maybe we won’t get splashed.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:57 am
Reims couldn’t quite figure out what to say to the thanks, or that Cassidy knew he was safe with him. He mumbled quietly about not mentioning it and that it was fine, and removed his arm from around Cassidy now that he was standing on his own, and Reims wasn’t about to fall over.
Cassidy had a nice laugh, but Reims wasn’t sure what he could do to get him to laugh again, and he knew he was being pretty boring.
He cleared his throat and looked around, hoping it wasn’t obvious that the color in his ears wasn’t just from the heat of the water.
“So… are you feeling any better?”
Ephesus smiled softly at Amarynthos, and once he was helped off the edge and into the water, he leaned up to give him another kiss.
“I don’t mind getting splashed. I won’t be bored if you want to swim around,” he promised, knowing that Amarynthos had been talking about it. Ephesus didn’t want to be the reason he didn’t go and have some fun!
“He’s so different with Cassidy like this,” Ephesus quietly observed, his hands still on Amarynthos’s arms, just for something to hold onto as they moved into the pool. “And with Evie. I know it’s hard being forced to be someone you’re not. I hope things get easier.”
For most of his life, he’d been forced to be someone he wasn’t, so he understood the freedom Riker must have felt as Reims.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:59 am
“I don’t know,” Cassidy admitted. “I’m having a good time. I like how warm it is. But I don’t feel magically better or anything. My arm isn’t sore right now, but it wasn’t giving me a lot of grief yet tonight. This water feels weird. Like, good weird. But different from bath water, if that makes sense? Probably sounds silly.”
Even if he wasn’t still in Reims’ arms, he still stayed close. He dipped down in the water so he was covered up to his shoulders, and walked in a slow circle around him.
“What about you, do you feel better?”
Amarynthos was eavesdropping on the two, partly because he was curious and partly because he wanted to make sure nobody was accidentally pressing buttons. They seemed like they were doing well, so he gave Ephesus more of his attention.
Under the guise of helping Effie get his footing in the spring, he held him close. Mostly, it was just so he could whisper without interrupting or distracting the other two. “Me too. He gets to relax and be himself more like this, I think. He’s not as worried about what other people will think about him.” Not as worried about his mother or brother finding out.
“I’ll swim around in a minute. I want to hold you for now, though.” He flicked the very top layer of water at Ephesus, sending a very small spray of water droplets at him. “I hope he can let himself have some fun.”
Riker was always trying so hard to be serious and not give anyone any fodder to make fun of him. With Reims, it wasn't like those concerns weren’t still there, it was just different. He could lower a few of his walls. He could spend less effort worrying.
As long as there wasn’t any Negaverse agent nearby, but Amarynthos knew he didn’t have to deal with that here.
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