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Silver woke to soft fingers trailing over his face and the sensation of someone sitting lightly in his lap. He wrinkled his nose at the slightly damp feeling that followed each stroke across his skin. He relaxed slightly, realizing who it was, and even with the odd wet sensation, the repetitive motion was soothing.
“What are you doing?”
His voice was slightly rough with sleep, and as he took stock of his body, he realized he was in a soft, padded chair. The room around him was rife with deep violets, reds and golds and far more decadent than his own rooms in Diasomnia.
“Your curse hit, so I took the opportunity to do the five-step skin routine I gave you, that you
clearly
haven’t been doing. Honestly, Silver. Just because you have small pores and decent skin is no reason to treat it the way you do.” The clipped, slightly aggrieved voice of his lover softened as he opened his eyes and smiled softly at him.
Vil was, as always, perfectly coiffed, though the hint of a bruise showing above his collar sent a hint of possessiveness washing through the quiet knight. The darker mark of a bite showed lower as the shirt fell open when Vil leaned forward in his lap to brush his lips over Silver’s
“Malleus showed up?”
“Hmm?” Eyes following Silvers, Vil’s hand came up to rub the bite mark, then huffed his irritation as he felt the small indents, a wry but fond smile flickering over his face. “He did. He’ll be back shortly, He wanted to get his phone from Lilia so he could take a picture of you sleeping. I’m sure he’ll be very put out that you woke before he came back.”
Silver snorted softly. “Malleus has plenty of pictures of me sleeping. He’ll live.” His arms lifted to wrap around Vils' waist as the man shifted in his lap to grab a small container on the nearby vanity.
“Now hold still, I’m on the last step.” Indulgently, Silver let Vil pat the potion lightly over his face, grip firm as he turned his chin to and fro in the light, eyeing him critically. “It’s done, but you
really
must remember to do it every d—” He was cut off as Silver gave him another soft peck on the lips.
“But then what will you have to pick on me for?” His aurora eyes sparkled in amusement, though his tone didn’t change in the slightest. Vil raised an eyebrow, beautifully rouged lips parting to speak until Silver rested a finger on them gently.
“Don’t answer that.”
His lover sent a smug look his way, the door opening startling them both.
“It seems my phone isn’t back from the shop yet, Lilia says I broke it worse than usua—Aha! Silver you’re awake.”
Malleus ducked slightly so as not to catch his horns when he entered the room, forest green eyes bright as he took in the picture they made, Silver sitting in the chair, clothing mussed from his impromptu nap, and Vil straddling his lap in a fashionable top and leggings capping various skincare products.
“Beautiful….” The fae prince set the basket in his hands down and crossed the room quickly, long fingers tilting Vil’s chin up to brush their lips together before moving to Silver. Silver's eyes drifted shut as Malleus kissed him, his lips tingling slightly as they parted. He licked them thoughtfully, humming to himself.
“Father's cooking?”
Malleus lit up. “Lilia called me to try something when I returned to get my phone. It was spicy.” He hummed to himself, an arm draped around Vil’s shoulders.
“He also had a basket ready for us, so we are ready to go, are we not?” Malleus saw mild panic rise in Silver's eyes, “Do not worry. Sebek assured me that he prepared it himself.”
Silver nodded, shoulders relaxing. He loved his father, but his cooking was…not something he would inflict on Vil. He let his arms fall from their boyfriend's slim hips, though his lips slipped into what those who knew him well would recognise as a pout as Vil stood from his lap.
“The two of you haven’t told me what we’re doing today, only that I should dress comfortably.” Vil’s voice was alight with curiosity, his lovers amused by the edge to his tone that practically demanded answers. The two raised in Briar Valley exchanged a fond look as Silver rose to his feet, quietly lifting the basket Malleus had placed down earlier.
“Today marks the spring equinox…it’s something we fae celebrate.” Malleus took Vil ‘shand and kissed his fingers. “Silver and I would like to invite you to share the holiday with us…” His words were casual, but Vil could see from the vulnerability that flashed in his eyes that there was something important to Malleus about spending the holiday together. He looked over at Silver questioningly.
“It is common to spend it with one's significant others,” the quiet man said, his expression unreadable for most, but his partners could tell that this was as important to him as it was to the dragon.
Vil nodded and strode towards the door, regal even in the light, comfortable clothing he had adopted for the day. “Then what are we waiting for?”
Malleus smiled and took Vil’s arm, the melancholy look in his eyes vanishing as if it had never been. “Absolutely nothing…Come, Silver.” His green eyes were bright as they followed Vil out of the room. Today was a day to celebrate spring, renewal, and love.
***
“Where are we?”
Vil turned towards his boys, the sunlight glinting off his hair and the greenery around him making him look a little like a wood-fae.
Malleus was entranced, so Silver answered.
“It’s a small clearing Sebek and I found on our morning runs. We thought it would be a good place to eat.”
The clearing was filled with early wildflowers, like snowdrops and violets, with other budding plants everywhere. Silver found the place with the least flora to lay out the soft blanket they had brought. Normally, they would simply sit in the grass, but some of the plans they had for the day would be best to have the blanket for. He knew more than anyone that Vil wasn’t just a pretty face, but he did like his creature comforts.
“A picnic?”
Malleus smiled as he removed several things from the basket, laying out simple foods, flatbreads Vil had never tried but had seen the fae eat, stuffed with what smelled like meat and fresh herbs. A bottle of what looked like wine and a container of soup. He felt his stomach growling and glanced up, hoping his lovers wouldn’t hear the inelegant sound.
“Here, Vil.” Silver handed him a plate of food and a small bowl of the soup. Thankfully they hadn’t commented on the inelegant sound. He waited until Silver had served himself and Malleus before eyeing the corked bottle.
“Should we be drinking?”
Malleus favored him with an amused chuckle and a peck on the lips. “It is not a strong spirit, it is a traditional drink made with honey and the melt of the final frost of the year. We will be fine unless you plan on drinking the entire bottle.” Vil nodded and took a bite of his food, mollified as they poured four glasses of the wine.
He watched in fascination as the fourth wine glass was set in the grass beside them, and he was handed his. This was the first time in a long time that Vil was at a loss for etiquette. He waited,watching his lovers in the sunlight as Malleus said something in the fae tongue and Silver responded.
They took a drink, and Vil followed a beat after them. The mead was indeed light and not strong. It was sweet and herbal and not as unpleasant as he had feared. He turned to Silver curiously.
“I thought you didn’t speak the fae language…”
Silver looked at him, a rueful look in his aurora eyes. “I know a word or two, and I know the responses on holidays… Father raised me in the Valley, and we would celebrate the changing of the seasons together.”
Malleus' gaze shifted to Vil, and he leaned forward to brush their lips together as he translated.
“Winter is over, the world is reborne,
Life ‘gins anew all oer flower and thorne
We’re thankful for the abundance..
And then an entreaty to the goddess that oversees the seasons for her blessings on our love…”
Vil blushed slightly as he hid his smile with his glass. He knew he was an outsider in this celebration, but his lovers didn’t treat him as such. As he sipped his drink thoughtfully, he felt a soft touch on his brow and looked up. Silver was laying an intricately woven flower crown on his head, following up the gesture with a soft kiss.
“It is also traditional to make flower crowns for your loved ones.” Silver trailed off. “I hope you don’t mind…”
Another soft touch on his head as Malleus carefully laid a second crown over Silvers, and Vil turned red. “I do hope they work together…” He pulled out his mirror to check and froze, lips parted. Resting on his brow were two thin flower crowns, one of pale pink and blue flowers with baby’s breath woven in, the other was an artful weave of tiny green snapdragons and something Vil didn’t recognize. They meshed together beautifully, and he could tell they had worked on them together…likely for his sake and his sense of aesthetic. He felt his chest tighten as he looked up into two sets of nervous eyes and closed the mirror with a snap that made them both tense. “I love them…” Vil said softly. “I wish you’d have told me. I’ve never woven a flower crown, but I should have made two.”
The concerned looks they shared broke as smiles bloomed along their lips.
“We can teach you if you want to make ones for us…” Silver said softly. Malleus simply gestured to the flowers surrounding them.
“We should have no end of blossoms for you to choose from, Vil.” The dragon’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “That is one of the reasons we chose this spot.” He reached over to cup Vil’s cheek. “That, and I knew you would look lovely among the flowers, lost in pleasure.”
A flush stole over Vil’s cheeks as Silver nodded quietly, eyes focused on Vil. “The two of you are incorrigible.” He laughed softly as he lay back on the blanket, reaching for a flower near the edge, a lovely violet one that matched the shade of his own eyes. “Teach me, and then maybe I will let you do as you wish with me later.” He smirked at the intensity of their gaze, twirling the blossom between graceful fingers and running it over his bared collarbone.. Malleus could be overwhelming in his focus, and Silver intense, but Vil loved how they could get. He loved it when they were both focused on him.
It took them some time to get to the teaching part of the afternoon after that. When they finally had, Vil still looked as perfect as ever, though his lips were slightly swollen from his lovers' kisses, and they had left little blossom-like hickeys along his neck to join the ones from earlier. He finger-combed Malleus's hair back into place and frowned at Silver.
“It’s not fair that you can just shake your head and it looks fine. With as little as you take care of it, it should be rough and tangled.” He pouted. Silver's hair defied all logic and was an eternal mystery to him.
“Oh…no. Vil is angry at my hair again.” The knight said, voice monotone, though his eyes sparkled with mischief. “Perhaps I should leave…” He was caught around the waist by Vil as he went to get up.
“Who will fetch me my flowers?” He said seriously. Silver's quiet laughter and his dry sense of humor were always a treat, and both of his lovers indulged it, hoping he would show it more.
“Relegated to fetching flowers for my own crown…Malleus, I think Vil loves you more.” Vil snorted as Malleus' eyes widened, the dragon missing the joke. He was glad Silver could make that joke. When they had first gotten together, the younger man had been insecure due to his peers being unable to read him most of the time. It had taken them time and effort to break him of that.
“I am certain Vil feels for you as much as he does for me…” Malleus' eyes were pained, and Silver quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Malleus…” He reached out and took Vils' hand. “I know.” Malleus looked between them and seemed to relax, to Vil's relief. Malleus could be oddly protective of Silver, even though their roles were the opposite. Vil never wanted that protectiveness to trigger again, especially if he caused it.
Vil reached out to tweak the dragon-fae’s nose. “Flower crowns. I am still the only one wearing them, yet you invited me to celebrate with you.” His back was straight as he lectured, watching desire spark in his lovers' eyes again.
“Well then, let us not waste any more time.” Vil sat back, mollified as Silver picked a few flowers at his direction, leaving the stems longer. He lay them out in front of Vil before sitting next to Malleus with three flowers and began the lesson.
Vil fumbled a little, and with each fumble, a frown of concentration etched itself into his forehead.
He glanced up as he managed to weave a half dozen flowers together and saw Silver kissing Malleus' pointed ear. He heard soft words and focused on them instead of his hands for a moment.
“Do you think he’s realized we like it when he’s bossy?”
“I admit, Silver, I do like it. Many would never dare, yet he has never flinched…It makes it all the sweeter when he submits in bed.”
Vil was a celebrated actor, so preventing his cheeks from flushing as he continued to weave flowers was child's play, however, he couldn’t control the flash of heat that suffused his body. As he watched, he contemplated the warm feelings that being with them gave him, as he’d been told to.
Silver; Oddly sweet and caring with a hint of chivalry that bordered on annoying, but that Vil found charming. He was peaceful in his sleep, and his lack of care for cosmetics and skincare frustrated Vil to no end, yet he was quietly earnest. Beautiful, he seemed to be emotionless until you knew him, and then you realized he just didn’t waste expressions on small, unimportant things. His smile was beautiful when he was joyful, and his eyes were so expressive that Vil couldn’t understand why others couldn’t see. He was driven in a way Vil hadn’t realized until they’d gotten closer.
He set aside the crown once he had tied it off, the violet and golden flowers that symbolized himself woven with green Ivy and silver flowers that Vil knew from potions work would glow in moonlight. Looking up, he saw Malleus pull Silver into his lap and kiss him as Silver placed his own flower crown on Malleus' head.
Malleus; another supremely misunderstood being. He acted aloof, but Vil had come to realize that was a mix of royal raising and his lack of companionship growing up. He was far more fragile and emotional than anyone had given him credit for. He cared deeply for the people he loved, and losing them was incredibly painful for him. He looked down as he finished the second crown and sighed, eyes fluttering shut for a moment. Both of these men had made a place for themselves in his heart, Silver lighting up the dark spaces, and Malleus, cool darkness making them not as painful. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
When he looked up, he found Silver setting up what looked like pots of color and hard-boiled eggs. Standing gracefully, Vil took a step to Malleus and lay the crown he had woven over the man's horns, his fingers trailing down his chin to tilt him up into a deep kiss. “For my dragon…”
He spoke softly before turning back to Silver, who had paused in getting out paintbrushes to watch him.
“For my knight…” Vil said softly, as he laid the crown on Silver's soft hair, kneeling next to him as he pressed their lips together.
“Why do we have eggs?”
Silver’s lips quirked into a smile as he lifted one.
"Eggs are a symbol of fertility. We paint them with wishes that the land be fertile in the coming year…”
Malleus interrupted, sharp teeth nipping Vils' ear. “And other kinds of fertility as well of course. Especially for dragons”
Vil was so startled that a deep scarlet suffused his cheeks as his lovers looked on fascinated.
“You made him blush…” Silver handed the egg to Malleus, who took it and a paintbrush gravely.
“I did. It is a momentous occasion when Vil Schoenheight truly blushes…a beautiful sight to see.”
Vil smacked his arm, and Silver’s too, for good measure, since he was snickering.
“Shut up. So we paint what on the egg exactly?” Vil took it and a paintbrush, dipping it in water.
“Anything you wish.” Silver said. “I usually paint flowers.”
Malleus turned the egg towards Vil with an odd lump painted on it. “I have painted a bunny, for they are also symbols of spring and fertility.” Vil squinted.
“Very nice, Malleus…Are those its ears?”
Malleus pouted slightly. “Those are its hoppy legs!” He sighed and looked down at his egg. “I admit I am not good at painting them…the palace staff painted them for me because the council felt it beneath me. I have always wanted to, though.” He looked down, the melancholy look from earlier passing over his face. Vil squeezed his shoulder and sighed.
“ You should really eat them.” Vil had heard more than one story about the Fae council that made him feel murderous. Malleus had abandonment issues and it had never been said straight out that they were the cause, but the more he heard about them, the more Vil felt anger for his lover.
Silver covered Vils' hand and squeezed it. “It would give him a stomach ache. You know how he is when sick.”
Vil frowned, then sighed. Silver was right. Malleus rarely got sick, but when he did…he was not a good patient.
Malleus turned to meet his gaze with a raised brow. “Me? Our Queen is just as bad when he’s sick…”
Vil smacked his shoulder as Silver very seriously looked at them both. “I never said he wasn’t…”
Silver deserved the egg Vil threw at him. He really did.
***
It was nightfall by the time they were done painting the eggs, and they lay curled together on the blanket watching the stars come out. Silver kissed Malleus's hand as the shadows grew and got up.
“I’ll light the fire.”
Vil sat up to watch as Silver approached a small pit he had dug after the egg fight that had left shell everywhere, and several eggs with cracked shells that had needed to be eaten right away.
With obligatory teasing of Malleus since he had come from one, of course.
The silver-haired young man's face seemed to glow in the firelight as he sparked kindling and fed the flames that resulted. Vil felt Malleus' arm around his waist and looked up at the sky, searching out the brightest star he could, the point of the constellation known as The Fairest Queen.
Is it my tenacity that has brought me to this moment? No…It’s something more than that. Whatever blessing has brought me here, I wish it to never end. That this blossom of a relationship flowers into more.
His eyes lowered to look at his lovers again, and his lips parted in a gasp as the flowers on their crowns began to glow in the low light…like stars…like an answer. Vil tugged a startled Silver down as he returned from the crackling blaze and kissed him hard, pulling him and Malleus down so they’re half on top of him.
“I love you…” It was whispered against silver hair, mumbled into Malleus' neck, but he didn’t say it aloud often.
“And I you…” Malleus said, warmth in his green eyes. Silver just smiled and kissed them both softly. “You know how I feel about you both…
“So what do we do next for this holiday of yours?” He could see a spark of something in both of their eyes as they exchanged a look. His body felt flushed as they turned to him again, Malleus gaze predatory as his eyes reflected the moonlight and Silver's heated in a way that made Vil’s breath come short.
“Next, couples jump the embers of the banked fire to bless their love…and then they find somewhere…private to celebrate that love…” Malleus whispered in his ear, goosebumps rushing on his neck. “It’s a pity Silver just started our fire…we should wait until it burns down…”
Vil smirked slightly. “And what shall we do in the meantime? After all…I’ve never celebrated this holiday before.”
Lips pressed against his neck as Silver took Vil’s other side, hand tangling in his hair to pull his head back to give his lovers more access.
“Perhaps we should practice for later…We wouldn’t want you to be unprepared after all.”
The fire had burned down to low embers in the pit by the time they remembered it.
Vil knew his makeup was smeared, and he was sweaty, but for once, none of that mattered. All that mattered was the sky overhead and a hand in each of his.
All that mattered was the three of them under the Spring sky. The rest could wait until morning.
~End~