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Ryan had never considered himself a lustful man. Determined, yes. Narcissistic, perhaps. Was a king not meant to think highly of himself? But lustful....it had been so long since he’d felt anything akin to desire. People offered him nothing worth savoring. They were little, and he was mighty, a conqueror. Their feeble lives were meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Ryan had surpassed them all, the magic inside him painting a red road of immortality none other could dare hope to follow.
Except, there was one. Centuries of celibacy, his mind solely focused on expanding his bloody empire, when who should fall into his lap but the most ravishing creature Ryan had ever seen. And he had seen him before. That was the beauty of it. Those spirited eyes hued such an interesting shade of green, like a forest beneath twilight. Silken skin, feathery hair, all in shades of ancient gold, as if some eternal fire lit the man from within. That fire was what Ryan remembered. The same burned inside him. Immortals, the both of them, finally together again after so long apart.
“Gavin,” Ryan purred, tasting its familiarity, the easy way it passed his lips. He couldn’t remember a time he’d experienced so many emotions at once. Some were unpleasant, for their last meeting could hardly be labeled friendly. In a moment of weakness, Ryan had offered Gavin the world. They could have been kings together, a tyrannical force to be reckoned with. Though his refusal, in hindsight, shouldn’t have been so surprising. Domination was never Gavin’s tactic of choice. Still, Ryan never was able to forgive him the slight. Only time had cooled his fury, leaving a muted sense of irritation in its place, and even that seemed paltry in the face of Gavin’s return. What was one little grudge, after all? Ryan’s excitement far outweighed any negativity he could feel.
“It’s been far too long.” Closing the bedroom door behind him, Ryan resisted the urge to lick his lips with anticipation. Gratification could wait. He wanted to savor this first. “Look at you. As beautiful as always.” Keeping his steps soft, Ryan approached the bed, where a prone Gavin had been deposited but an hour before. He was unconscious to the world, his tanned cheek pressed against the pillows. A sight Ryan hadn’t witnessed since before kings and crowns. A far simpler time, until one little word had sent Gavin fleeing his presence, and the undeniable outcome of their lives.
It seemed so ridiculous now. “You’ve changed,” Ryan touched the curve of Gavin’s jaw, lightly trailing his fingertips up its golden curve. “You’d probably be laughing at me, if you were awake. Lovely Ryan, of course I’ve changed! Immortality doesn’t mean we stay the same forever!” The humor crept from his voice, leaving behind a quiet bemusement. “I’m certainly not the man I used to be. But that’s why you left, isn’t it? You thought I’d gone quite mad, spouting off ideas about monarchies and conquering. Insanity, you called it.” Ryan’s gaze swept up Gavin’s brow, self righteous glee darkening the pale blue into something bottomless and terrifying, a churning maelstrom trapped within two matches irises. “Oh, how the tables have turned.”
Could he call this irony? It was certainly poetic. Gavin had finally returned to him, their fates twisted together once more. All the feeble protests, the claims of madness laid upon him, and yet they two had so much more in common now. The golden crown resting atop Gavin’s feathery hair said it all. Now they could be what Ryan had always dreamed of; two kings, allied against men and time. “King Gavin. It does have a nice ring to it.” Ryan touched one of the countless leaves that crafted Gavin’s crown, their filigree virtually weightless despite the heft of the gold and miniature peridots studding each center. Enchanted, perhaps. How fitting. “A king who’s embraced magic. You’re just full of surprises today.”
Gavin made a quiet noise, discontented, his brow wrinkling with lines of stress. It made him appear older, wiser. Immortality had frozen his features in the guise of a young man, but Ryan saw the signs. Time had worked its will on Gavin in different ways. Subtle changes. He looked forward to documenting them all. “I want you to know, I forgave you a long time ago. You were young, naive. You didn’t understand what I was trying to build. And how could you? I wasn’t very articulate in those days,” Ryan murmured, teasing a lock of warm brown hair between his fingers. “I made you countless promises. Promises you had no assurance I could keep.”
“N-nhh...”
A sliver of green awoke beneath Gavin’s lashes, hazy with confusion. Ryan quickly made to soothe him, grazing his nails over Gavin’s scalp. “Shhh. Rest. There’s no reason to strain yourself. You and I have all the time in the world to talk. And I’ve waited centuries to have you by my side again. What are a few more hours?” Ryan’s calming motions slowed, a sharp smile taking its place. He bent over the bed and rested his lips by Gavin’s ear, shaping his words carefully, their surface coated in cloying, delectable glee. “It’s funny though. The timing of our little reunion couldn’t be better if I’d planned it myself. In a fortnight my navy and I were planning to sail across the great sea. I’ve heard rumors of this great isle, rich in spoils. The Golden Wood, they call it. It’s said their king is some great wizard, a ravishing creature who bespells nature itself, willing it to do his bidding. I thought, or rather hoped...that was always your strength, wasn’t it? You had an affinity for the earth. Even though you claimed we didn’t need magic to be happy. To survive.”
Ryan felt Gavin shiver, the flutter of lashes tickling his jawbone growing stronger, more aware. It was the only answer he needed. “Was it foolish of me, to hope? All I’ve dreamed of these past years is our reuniting. And now here you are. Stronger than ever, with a crown on your head.” He pulled back and gazed into wide emerald eyes, their depths in a mingle of shock and—ah. Fascinating. Was that some grudging respect Ryan saw? “Hello Gavin. Miss me?”