Welcome to Gaia! ::

Weeks passed into months. Not long after his first visit with Casseth in tow, Lithian purchased the small shop advertised to him by priest he had worked with in the church of Abronaxus, and after the better part of a year — perhaps eight months, total — he had fully acclimated himself to the new space. He had a healthy handful of daily customers, for the most part, as well as a decent number of those who requested house calls. The incidents that required that, though, were thankfully rarer, and for the great bulk of the time, Lithian spent his hours working with his magic, reading, and tending to those who did come through to see him.

On this day, he was doing just that. Propped up behind front desk and surrounded by the smell of herbs, salves, wood, and paper, he read. Beside him, a parchment already scribbled with multiple notes waited, and as he went along, Lithian occasionally jotted down more information. Early afternoon sunlight spilled in through the window to his left, both lighting and warming him as he worked, though the warmth — given the desert setting — wasn’t precisely necessary, and on the breeze, the bells of the nearby church could be heard just over the usual hum and hubbub of the surrounding town. Behind him, the shelves were stocked full of ingredients and medications, and Lithian was at peace.

He hummed, thoughtful as he eyed the text, and ran the feather tip of his quill back and forth idly as his thoughts wandered. It had been quite some time — too long, arguably — since he had been to the Celestial Plane. The more serious his relationship with Casseth grew, the more estranged he felt from his family, though he had yet to tell them. He would have to, though, eventually.

Biting at his lower lip, Lithian’s brow pursed when he noticed an ink blot had fallen onto his notes in his distraction, and he sighed. One day. But not today. He reached plucked at the blot with his magic, pulling away the dampness so that, at the very least, it wouldn’t spread.

Lithian’s gaze jerked up, startled at the sudden arrival, only to soften immediately after upon spotting Cas. At his lover’s greeting, his expression warmed further, lips stretching into a laughing grin and eyes dancing with amusement.

“Oh, do you?” he responded, tone gentle and teasing. “Let me see, then…” He leaned forward as he said it, reaching out and brushing his thumb over Cas’ cheek with a thoughtful hum and a mock ‘concerned’ look. Setting his notes aside and closing up his book, Lithian moved around to the front of the counter and tisked as he eyed Cas. “You know, I think it is my expert opinion that your real problem is right…” He leaned down, skimming his lips over Cas’, “…here…”

When he kissed him, Lith gave a tiny pulse of magic — not aimed anywhere, just a small ripple of energy — that sank into Casseth’s skin like water into sand. When he pulled back, his eyes were still dancing, fingers lingering at the line of Cas’ jaw.

“Better? Or do you require a more thorough inspection…”

Lithian’s eyebrows raised at the change in topic, immediately curious. “Oh?” He glanced back at the book he’d been taking notes from, and then briefly around the rest of the shop. “I suppose I could. Today has been fairly quiet and I’m not expecting anyone specific…” Lithian walked back around the counter, fetching the keys and setting away his book and ink as well as a few other stray materials which wouldn’t do well to be left out before coming back around to Cas. “Are you going to give me any hints?” he asked. “Or is this meant to be a surprise kidnapping off to mysterious places?”

Lithian dismounted, but paused, attention immediately caught on the blindfold before his gaze jerked over to Cas. His pulse gave a giddy flutter in his chest, some messy mixture of curiosity, uncertainty, and…well. His cheeks flushed, but he reached out, taking the cloth in his hands and thumbing over it.

“I trust you,” he said. “Though I’ll admit…” The corner of his lips edged upwards, and his eyes turned again to Cas, flitting down over all of him, “…now you have me very curious…” Without further pushing, though, Lith lifted the covering, layering it over his eyes and fastening it in place behind his head. His heart stuttered, quick with anticipation, and he reached out, relaxing a fraction the instant his fingertips brushed Cas. “Do I get punished if I peek?”

As the cloth of the blindfold fell away and Lithian’s eyes adjusted to the light, bringing the sight before him into full view, his breath caught in his throat, and for several long seconds, he could only stare. Then, as the enormity of it built up, his pulse gathered high and he raised quivering fingers to his lips.

“Casseth…” His breath left him in a rush with a sharp new one drawn immediately after. “You’re…building it…” In a moment, he swept around to face Cas, catching his face in his hands and half laughing, half whining as he kissed him. His eyes stung and his fingers trembled, his body barely knowing what to do with his excitement. “I love you—I love you, I love you…” became a chant on repeat between kisses before he finally made himself pull back. “Show me—show me, come show it to me, I want to see everything you’ve done so far — how long have you been working on this? You got it all the way out there, over the rocks…who’s helping you? Is anyone helping you? Oh, it’s so big — I can just imagine it when it’s done — how are you paying for it? I can help if you need, gods, let me if you need…I can’t believe…” Lithian touched his fingers to his lips again, giving another, softer mix between a laugh and a sob. “It’s beautiful, Casseth. Already it’s beautiful…” Catching at Cas’ fingers, he tugged. “Come, please show it to me…I want to know everything.”

Lithian released a shuddered exhale, eyes stinging again until this time, moisture did gather in them, but he ignored it, turning instead to Casseth again and kissing him. Lingering. Clinging. Needy. His heart felt as though it might expand too large for his chest, and he shook his head.

“It’s perfect, Casseth…” Leaning back and swiping away at the dampness in his eyes, he laughed. “Gods…have I ever told you how much I’ve always wanted a library? And the steps to the ocean…right into the ocean…” He stared back out over the framework — a skeleton still, really, with areas where the floor wasn’t even fully put in — but enough that Lithian’s imagination ran wild. Walls, windows, beds. “A place all our own, right here…” Shutting his eyes, he tucked his forehead to Cas’ and traced his fingers along the shape of Cas’ jawline. “I do love you…so much. Thank you, Casseth…my god has blessed me with you, and I could not do without…I am more fortunate than anyone could know.”