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There was a thunderstorm that night.
At first, it was little more than a few distant claps of thunder, but they had quickly grown closer and closer until lightning flashed overhead and sheets of rain pounded at the windows of Ethari’s home.
He hummed to himself as he finished washing up, and began putting away the plates and pans. Runaan was round for dinner, but having come straight from training, the weather had gotten the better of him. His mud-splattered bow and boots stood in the corner by the door, looking rather sad; the rest of his clothes were drying in the other room, after Ethari had insisted on running him a bath.
As if on cue, Runaan emerged from the bedroom, wearing some spare clothes of Ethari’s that were far too big for him; quite the far cry from his usual assassin’s garb. Ethari chuckled at the sight. ‘You look adorable.’
Runaan made a face. ‘Not a word, Ethari. Not a word. Especially not to Lain and Tiadrin.’
‘Wouldn’t dream of it,’ Ethari said, smiling wryly as he put away the last of the dishes before crossing over to him and cupping his face in his hands. ‘Shall we sit for a bit? You look exhausted.’
Runaan closed his eyes, reaching up to hold Ethari’s hands, and leaned in, letting their foreheads touch. ‘Yes. I’d like that.’
‘Good.’ Ethari leaned in and kissed him, gently. And as they sat down on the couch, Runaan cuddled up to him, resting his head on his shoulder. ‘Thank you for this,’ he said softly. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you.’
‘If I had to guess, I’d say you’d be walking home, miserable and wet,’ Ethari said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, between his horns. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m glad I don’t have to share you with the storm.’
Runaan chuckled, closing his eyes. They stayed there for a while, in silence, simply listening to the sounds of the storm outside, grateful to be inside in the warmth. And after a while, Ethari felt Runaan’s head growing heavy on his shoulder, his horns pressing into his neck.
‘Runaan,’ he whispered, caressing his cheek with the lightest of touches. ‘Runaan, my love. You’re dozing off.’
‘Mm?’ Runaan blinked, looking up. ‘Oh. Forgive me. I…’
‘…should go home?’ Ethari finished his sentence for him. ‘Runaan, I… I’ll admit I don’t particularly like the thought of you going back out in that.’ He glanced up towards where the rain was still lashing at the window. ‘Especially not carrying metal weapons. Besides, your clothes are still drying.’
‘Right.’ Runaan’s smile was unusually sly. ‘The Silvergrove simply isn’t ready for this fashion statement.’
Ethari chuckled, and squeezed his shoulders gently, cupping his cheek with his other hand.
‘Stay over tonight, Runaan,’ he said softly. ‘Your clothes will by dry by morning, and you can clean your boots then.’
Runaan’s eyes widened a little. For a moment, Ethari was afraid he’d overstepped; this would be a big step for them both, after all, and he didn’t want to force Runaan into anything.
But, after a moment, Runaan’s face softened. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘But I’m not sleeping in this getup of yours.’
‘Oh, come on. Don’t insult the crop top.’
‘Trust me, I have nothing against the crop top. Especially not when it’s on you. But, alas, it wasn’t made for me.’
Ethari smiled wryly. ‘Shame. I think you look quite dashing.’
‘To you, perhaps. But the rest of the Silvergrove might not have your artistic eye.’ Runaan shifted to sit in his lap, and gently ran a hand over Ethari’s horns, settling in his hair as he leaned in and pulled him into a warm, soft kiss.
He hadn’t admitted it yet, but braiding Runaan’s hair had become one of his favourite things to do. And now, as he was undoing the very braids he had put in that morning, gently teasing them out one by one, he couldn’t help but smile. On top of that, it was difficult to miss the little catches of Runaan’s breath every time his fingers brushed his horns, the way he sighed when he ran his fingers across his scalp. And when he was finished, having gently combed out all the knots with his fingers, Ethari leaned down and kissed Runaan between his horns. ‘There. All done.’
Runaan got up slowly, and simply stared at Ethari for a moment, a soft blush in his cheeks, before wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him, warmly and deeply.
And Ethari kissed him back, pressing into his warmth. When they broke apart, after a long moment, they just held each other there, neither quite wanting to let go.
Eventually, Ethari pulled away, nodding towards the bed. Come on. It’s late. We should rest. Runaan nodded, and as Ethari climbed under the covers, he blushed a little before pulling off his shirt and joining him.
For a moment, they just lay there, gazing at each other, unsure what to do; this was new to them both, after all. Eventually, Runaan simply shook his head, sighed, and cuddled up to Ethari, resting his head on his chest as Ethari wrapped an arm around his waist and closed his eyes. Here, wrapped in the soft warmth of the covers, Runaan’s warm body pressed against his, with the rain outside, slowly softening to a gentle pattering…
It was perfect.