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barbatos' eyes fluttered open at the feeling of warm water and hands in his hair - he was far from alarmed, however, recognizing the warmth of the hands almost instantly. he'd been up and down for weeks now, little fleeting moments of consciousness where he clung to the body of his fellow god until he fell asleep once more.
he let out a soft groan as the calming scratching at his scalp, head leaning back into the rough fingers. he briefly registered a small chuckle from the body behind him, but found no need to break the wordless atmosphere around them. his hair had grown over the centuries, raven-blue and cyan strands falling over his shoulder and pooling around his body in the water.
when he leaned back further, morax's hands threaded out of his hair, and the wind gods head fell onto his lap with a huff. barbatos' luminescent eyes stared up at him, a fond grin stretching over his delicate features, his eyes sunken and heavy with fatigue, but alight with nothing but adoration. morax couldnt stop himself from leaning down and stealing a small kiss, the angle was awkward, and it was short, but it was full of enough love for barbatos' cheeks to be dusted red, a familiar fluster befalling him.
"lovebird, please let me wash your hair."
morax spoke softly, his voice rumbling as he leaned over the smaller god, the cyan tips of his hair illuminating the pool of water to a turquoise glow, casting shadows of blue and green across nearby flowers. the sight was ethereal, but not as much as his face as he giggled softly, hands breaching the water with small splashes as he brought wet fingers to morax's face, words jumbling together lightly.
"wont'ya join me?"
his words were almost whispers, the haziness of sleep cascading over him, leaving it very clear how much he was resisting the lull of dreams as his eyes closed for seconds at a time before snapping open, his head drowsily lolling to the side. morax sighed, shaking his head with an amused smile, but laid his lovers head delicately off his lap to derobe, soon supporting the angelic form before him to slide into the water behind him.
barbatos' body melted into him almost instantly, letting out a heavy breath that he'd likely been holding for a while. huffing a small laugh, the god of geo pressed a featherlight kiss to his cheek, then to his neck, then to his shoulder, listening to barbatos make small noises of satisfaction.
"will you let me take care of you now..?"
he hummed, tone laced in endeared amusement. he felt his lovers' shoulders shake lightly with a silent laugh, before he nodded slowly. morax took his right arm, cupping water and rubbling slowly across the smooth skin, picking anything out of his nails, and pressing soft kisses to his knuckles. he trailed callous fingers up his legs, massaging the numbness that came with lack of use, feeling barbatos jolt from the pins and needles of his human form. morax briefly wondered if he'd fade into the wind once more, and turned his head to place more loving kisses to his cheek and neck.
"i know, lovebird. it'll pass, stay with me."
he expected a gentle hum or muffled cry, but instead came a wavering voice, barbatos' reply was instantaneous.
"i will..."
he paused, trembling at the pain again. he was always fragike in this state. he spoke again, reassured by his beloveds lips and fingers.
"i will."
morax smiled against his neck, working his hands up venti's legs to his torso, tracing the glowing tattoo sprawled across his stomach, the buzzing elemental energy reassured him that his love would not be disappearing again anytime soon.
he had been so preoccupied by stroking the tattoo, basking in his lovers warmth, that he hadn't noticed barbatos groggily turning his head with a smile until he reached his free hand up to tilt his face and catch his lips in a much neater kiss than before. they both melted into the other, shuffling closer than before despite the near impossibility. the kiss lasted much longer, minutes had passed before morax finally tilted back, feeling barbatos' thumb stroke his cheekbone gently.
"let me wash your hair. we can cut it later."
barbatos nodded and had already begun to sink down, back sliding down mprax's chest until his head was rested only in morax's palms on the surface of the water. his eyes fell closed, his lips continuously upturned in a gentle smile, feeling warm hands thread through long strands, untangling knots and fixing twists or clumps. he pushed water through it, rippling the luminescence around them, causing the light to dapple against their skin.
when he was done washing barbatos' hair, the wind god sat up and pressed against him again, relishing in the broad comfort. he turned over soon, lips fluttering over morax's collorbone and pulse before he rested his chin on his shoulder. he rarely asked for much, especially not services, everything morax did was on his own. but here and now, he allowed his want to come out as a soft whisper on the wind.
"my wings...?"
if morax wasnt so entranced, he may not have heard it, but when he did the brightest smile you could get from the earth god spread across his features, and he wordlessly pushed venti's much too long hair over one shoulder, allowing for the beautiful angelic wings to sprout from his shoulder blades, ruffled and twitching lightly. they were always so large, the tips of the flight feathers dipping carelessly into the water even as they were scrunched up close.
morax pressed a chaste kiss to the crown of barbatos' skull, smelling wind and cecilias in his hair. it was a smell to unique and warm, filling his chest with a familiar fuzz that only barbatos could.
"of course, lovebird."
he whispered a response, finding that neither of them wanted to be any louder. his handa began to delicately push through cream feathers, pulling strays and detangling misplacements. he listened to the delighted hums and huffs coming from his beloved, acutely aware of each twitch and jolt the wings gave, slowing down to deal with some of the nastier knots. when he was done, he stroked a hand over the outside, craning his head down to speak against the shell of barbatos' ear.
"i'm done, my love. let me get you out."
he heard a brief whine of protest, feeling barbatos' arms tighten around him as morax wrapped his arms delicately around his lower back, leaning forward to push them both from the water, feeling it pool off them and drip into small splashes. barbatos' hair, long as it had become, still pooled in it, and morax swept it out with his forearm, moving to place his love on one of the towels set out prior, careful of his wings as he set him down and began to dry him.
barbatos was limp and pliant like clay, allowing himself to be moved how morax wanted him to, watching through half-lidded drowsy eyes, a pout still formed on his lips. when morax saw this, he shook his head in faux annoyance, leaning up to kiss him deeply. finally they'd connected entirely properly, slotting together perfectly as though they were entirely made for one another. it took most of morax's self control to not press barbatos into the floor and continue to kiss him until neither had breath, but he pulled back reluctantly.
when his body was dried, morax slipped the liyuen robes onto him, cyan and emerald greens with hints of soft yellows, all colors that he felt were just so connected to barbatos. he'd had the robe made custom for the next time he saw his beloved, unknowing of the centuries that would pass at the time. still, he kept it in pristine condition.
he refrianed from sliding it fully up his shoulder, mindful of his wings when he'd had it made. he tied it securely but not tightly before separating from barbatos to slip his own on once more. he could feel wimdborne eyes on him, and peaked over his shoulder to see an adoring gaze.
"you're beautiful."
barbatos spoke softly, honestly etching into every syllable, so sure that it flustered him for a brief moment, and he shook his head before turning back, scooping the sleepy god into his arms once more.
"lets get you home."
he hadn't thought before he said until he saw barbatos' eyes widen just a fraction. then, in the first small burst of energy he'd had in centuries, barbatos wrapped his arms tightly around morax and mashed his lips into his. clumsy, unrefined, yet full of pure love. when he pulled back, he remained close, lips ghosting over his when he spoke.
"home... oh, morax.. i love you so much."
the words were soft, and barely a fraction of the true ocean of love he held for the geo archon, but it was enough to bring such a handsome smile to the elder gods face, and he huffed before rocking as they began to move. lulled by the sensation of rocking, barbatos' eyes began to flutter closed again, snuggling close into morax's neck. before he was truly whisked to sleep once more, he heard the rumbling confirmation he always loved to hear.
"i love you too, barbatos."