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 Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 1:49 pm
Moonlight rippled iridescent-white over the dark ocean. At the shoreline, Lithian stood with his toes in the sand, boots already removed and set aside, his lashes low and eyes on the sea, but attention hundreds of miles away. As the sea breezes caught and slipped through his hair like the fingers of an impatient lover, his thoughts drifted out: to two, tiny children, and what it had been like to bring them into the world.
The event was some weeks ago now, and after initial issues with the delivery had been dealt with, he and Casseth had eventually started home themselves. Posing as an active ‘midwife’ however — while satisfying in the end, and a tremendous honor to be able to aid one of his best friends in such a critical and precious time — had stirred within him, moreso even than watching Araceli’s belly grow, a latent want for exactly what she had now.
A family. Young voices under a roof to call his. Children — not borrowed and cared for in passing, but of his own. He rubbed at his elbow, brow pinching as he thought on it and fingers lifting to begin working open the buttons and laces of his tunic.
He had never brought the subject up to Casseth. Not properly. He had no idea what his lover’s thoughts were on such a concept, and he knew — even if Casseth had once wanted or planned to — there was obviously no way they could father children of their own the ‘traditional’ way. Even if Casseth wanted to start a family, it would mean adopting.
Lithian set aside his belt and vials therein, shucked his tunic up and off over his head, and stepped out into the sea in only his trousers, wading out until the ocean swallowed him up to just above his waistline. He shut his eyes, and breathed.
Perhaps, he thought, it was time he asked. At least then, he would know.
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 2:18 pm
Casseth padded, barefoot and shirtless, through the house and poured himself a drink. He sighed as he leaned against the counter and sipped. They had been busy these last few weeks that it seemed as if down time was something rare and unattainable at times. Though he had felt like he’d not done much, he had loved being part of helping out with Araceli’s pregnancy. The house had been a major project to take on but with the help of Detra and everyone else, they had finished it just in time for the arrival of their twins. Building both family homes had sparked an interest in Casseth that he never imagined he would have. He wouldn’t mind doing it for a living if it could be done.
With that thought on his mind, he pushed away from the kitchen counter and headed towards the bedroom. As he passed the small hallway he paused as his gaze caught hold of Lithian. He tilted his head and moved over to the doorway and leaned against the frame. He watched as Lithian undressed and stepped farther into the ocean, distracted and in thought. Cas wondered what was on Lithian’s mind as he toed off his own boots and began undressing. It seemed like it had been ages since he’d last stepped foot into the water and he was eager to join his lover.
The night air was warm but not overly so and the moon hung overhead, lighting the area well enough to see — not that Casseth had trouble seeing in the dark. When he was down to nothing but his trousers, Cas stepped out onto the porch and made his way down the steps and directly into the ocean. The water rippled around him as he moved over to where Lithian had moved out to. As he came up behind Lith, Cas tail snaked through the water, wrapping around one of Lith’s legs just as he wrapped his arms around Lith’s waist from behind. “Mmm...you seem lost in thought.” He closed his eyes as he kissed the back of Lith’s neck, lips lingering against his lover’s skin and bare chest pressed against his back.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 8:42 pm
Wherever Lithian’s thoughts had been, they changed course over the span of a handful of heartbeats as Casseth came up behind him. Some combination of lips, touch, and breath drove him to immediate distraction, and he barely heard the question by the time it left Casseth.
“I—mmm…yes…” The words came out more in answer to Casseth’s actions than his question, but Lithian couldn’t be bothered to clarify. Instead, he shuddered, lashes shut, and then turned in Cas’ hold, looping a hand around to catch behind Cas’ neck as he leaned down and kissed him.
It felt good. Right. Here, now, in this moment — for all that he had been through — Lithian was extraordinarily lucky. He had a house, an intended, friends, a future, and — despite the dispute — ‘family’ in so far as he had siblings who still wanted his company. The ocean lapped at his skin, his element, and when the kiss broke, Lithian didn’t want to pull away more than the space it took to draw breath.
“I was thinking,” he murmured into that space, “…how much I envy Araceli and Detraeus, what they have now…children, and a family together…” He leaned back a fraction more, pulse picking up in spite of himself as he thumbed over Casseth’s cheek and pushed the words out, despite his fear of Casseth’s reaction. “I was thinking how much I wish that I might one day have those things with you…” His voice quieted, “…raise children, with you…but…” He eyed Casseth. “I know we’ve never spoken of such things…”
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 7:22 am
Casseth got lost in the kiss, lost in the feeling of having Lithian pressed against him. So when the kiss broke, he almost whined, almost tugged Lith back to him and claimed his lips again. No matter what he had to go through, this was all worth it — Lithian, their house, their futures together, all of it. When Lithian’s thumb rubbed over Cas’ cheek he leaned into the touch, eyes closing as he turned his head and kissed Lith’s palm.
He froze at the mention of children, eyes flicking open as he straightened back up. “Children…?” Casseth had never really given it much thought. A whole family — two parents and children — was a foreign concept to him. In a way, he came from a broken family, something that hadn’t been whole for quite some time. The thought of having his own was terrifying to him in a way. Not because he didn’t want it but because he was afraid that he wouldn’t know how. “I’ve never…” Cas let his eyes shut again as he took a deep breath.
“What if I can’t...be a good father?” Cas’ brows knit together at the thought. He’d had one of the best fathers he could have had growing up. Kilian had been understanding, protective and taught Casseth everything he could have. But what if he had more of his mother in him than he realized? The more he thought about it, the more he liked the thought of having a family with Lithian. That wasn’t the issue, not by a long shot. He leaned his forehead against Lith’s and sighed. “I love you Lithian...I’d love nothing more than to have a family with you but...I don’t want to disappoint you...or our children…”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 6:32 pm
Lithian watched, heart stuttering with nervous tension at Casseth’s initial hesitant reaction. He hadn’t planned on bringing it up here, now, of all places — though he’d be a liar under Abronaxus’ eyes if he said he hadn’t considered bringing it up on earlier occasions, too — but the primary factor holding him back, still true in this moment, was that he had no inkling of how Casseth might react. His only sign, for the duration of their relationship, as to how Casseth might perceive children was the limited time he’d seen Casseth with Detraeus’ new infants.
That, though, in some limited way, gave him hope, and made it impossible not to at least ask.
When the rest of Casseth’s response came, Lithian’s eyebrows arched up, and he nearly laughed, the sound coming out as some variation on that: startled, happy, and entirely disbelieving. How could Casseth possibly think he wouldn’t be a good father? If Detraeus could be a father—
Lithian decided to bottle that thought. As much as he considered it relevant, he didn’t suppose Casseth would necessarily take it the way he meant it, given his ‘friendship’ with the man. Thus:
“Casseth…” he said, reaching to catch Casseth’s cheek in his palm and leaning to where his eyes held Cas’ stare. “You would be a magnificent father…I would swear it to my god and all the others, I have no doubt…you’re kind, generous, positive, loving, brave, just silly enough to make a child laugh, and serious enough to teach anyone what they need to know if it’s in your knowledge…I have absolute faith in you. I just…” He flushed. “I was worried you wouldn’t want…given…that, well…we would have to adopt, if we were…and…” He eyed Casseth. “You would…truly be interested…?”
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 7:09 pm
Casseth’s cheeks warmed at Lithian’s words. He brought his hand up to cover Lith’s and took a deep breath. “A...family? Children…” He let his eyes close as he imagined what their house might be like — laughter, joy, all of it could be theirs. A small smile curled up the corners of Cas’ lips. “Yes…” He opened his eyes, gaze locking onto Lithian’s. He’d not thought of children before because of many reason. The main, and most recent, reason being that Lithian was a man and there would be no children that way. Adoption hadn’t really crossed his mind, though Casseth knew that there were orphanages spread throughout all of Magesc.
“Gods yes, Lithian.” Cas’ tail snaked up Lith’s leg and around his waist, tugging him the rest of the way towards him. His arms wrapped around Lith’s neck, fingers tangling in his lover’s hair. “I would love nothing more than to have a family with you,” Cas paused, thoughtful for a moment. He had a family, now, with Lithian. Just the two of them. “A whole family. Us, children...all of it. I want it, Lithian.”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 8:20 pm
“Fathers,” Lithian murmured. His heart gave a thrilled stutter on a beat at the thought. The two of them, fathers together with a child between them. Awash with his excitement, Lithian swept back down, pulling Casseth into another, hungrier kiss, a happy hum of noise mingling into it. His pulse, too, picked back up — interested in a whole slew of other ways and intent with the desire to celebrate. His magic rippled out in excess, the eddies of current around them shifting subtly as though to pull them together.
And then, he was dragging Casseth towards the shore, pulling them just enough onto the sand so that he could tug Casseth down onto it with him and pressing up. Hair a wet carpet of blue beneath him, waves licking at their bare legs and moonlight rippling over them like a translucent silver blanket, Lithian looped fingers up and carded them into the hair at Casseth’s nape.
“I want you…” he said against Cas’ mouth, letting his lashes fall shut to paint turquoise crescents on his dark cheeks. “Here. Now. Like this…”
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:09 pm
Casseth hummed and smiled against Lith’s lips as he kissed back, just as hungry as his lover. The waves rushed over their legs, again, as Cas pressed his body against Lith’s. “Mmm…” He nipped at Lith’s bottom lip and lingered for a moment before pulling back. A small smirk spread across his lips as a thought occurred to him. “Maybe we should wait…?” He tilted his head as he watched for Lithian’s reaction. “Now that we’re going to have a ceremony...and make it all official like…” He shrugged, body still pressed against Lith’s. “I hear some people think you should wait before such a thing and save yourself.”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:25 pm
Lithian blinked, stilling mid-squirm to stare dumbly at Cas for several moments before the suggestion sank fully in. “Wait…wait?” Was he serious? Surely he wasn’t—
But then, the tilt to Casseth’s grin and the way he held himself still — hovering over him, teasing — was more than enough to assure Lithian that he wasn’t. Lith huffed in response, humming and propping himself up on his elbows in the sand, ready to play along.
“As touched as I am that you’re that serious about this, Casseth, that’s an orderite tradition in large part. And an older one, at that — I’m fairly sure few have the patience to follow it, can you imagine? Most dovaa families I know encourage their older children to…get to know those they court before mating themselves permanently. Besides, it’s not as though either of us have much…” He cleared his throat, “…‘purity’ or innocence left in ourselves to save for each other at this point, and—” He leaned up, catching Cas’ lips in a gentle tug with his teeth, “—I think we both know you couldn’t wait that long…mm?”
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:36 pm
Cas’ wings stretched out at the word orderite. Though Casseth had all three races running through his veins, he didn’t really adhere to any particular tradition. It was why the mating ceremony had been something he’d been reluctant about at first. Now, though, he was looking forward to it — to making his relationship with Lithian official. His eyebrows raised at the rest of Lithia’s words. “Is that so, hm?” Cas asked as leaned down and captured Lith’s lips in a quick, hard kiss before pulling away again. “We’ll see,” he said as he pushed away from Lith and sat down in the sand beside him. “I think I would like to wait.”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:42 pm
Lithian stared, flushed, frustrated, and above all: confused.
“Casseth…” He pushed up to a sit, glancing over with a puzzled frown as he shook his head. “You’re…serious? Did I do something wrong? Do you…not want to have a ceremony…? You could just say so, if that’s it…or was it something I said? Are you cross with me…? Or if you didn’t want to tonight, you could just tell me…”
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:45 pm
Casseth paused, brows pinching together at Lithian’s questions. “Lithian…” He shook his head, gaze darting to Lith. “I’m not mad at you and I do want to have a ceremony.” His lips curled up at the edges a bit. “I just think we should wait until our ceremony to do anything else.” An eyebrow rose, as if in challenge. “Unless you do not think you could hold out.”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 12:59 pm
Lith blinked. The smile. The expression. And then the kicker:
‘Unless you do not think you could hold out…’
The cold knot of confused hurt and uncertainty in his gut melted back in an instant as comprehension dawned on him. Casseth was still teasing him. And challenging him. He flushed hotly, and huffed, half-laughing and half-glowering, though a smile competed for space on his lips simultaneously. At length, when he had — mostly — composed himself, Lithian cleared his throat, leveling Casseth with the most serious expression he could muster.
“You do realize, my alternate career path as a child was becoming a priest in the temple of Abronaxus…I never would have taken a mate, and would have dedicated myself entirely to my god. I think I can handle a little celibacy. You, on the other hand…” He leaned over, kissing Casseth’s cheek lightly before standing and dusting his body free of sand. When he finished, he moved to fetch his clothes and glanced back over his shoulder. “If you’d like to attempt this, I’m happy to go along with it, but keep in mind that you are free to change your mind at any point — I won’t judge you, mm? You could even change your mind tonight, if you like…” He eyed Casseth with a thorough sweep of his gaze and an inviting tilt of his head, hair spilling over his shoulder when he pulled it around. “I certainly wouldn’t object.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 1:08 pm
Casseth rose with Lithian, smile wide as he pulled at the sand beneath Lithian’s feet. Sand wrapped around Lith’s ankles, hardening and holding him gently in place as Cas moved over towards him. “I remember,” he said simply, at first. “However, it doesn’t seem as if you are that little boy you once were.” A smirk before he leaned in, captured Lith’s wrists with his fingers and held them to his sides as Cas caught his lips with his own, kissing once more. He nipped at Lith’s bottom lip before pulling away and letting his fingers slip loose from around Lith’s wrists. He raised an eyebrow and with a flick of his wrist, the sand around Lith’s ankles fell back to the ground.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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