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It's an easy day.
The Gestral Beach they'd settled on was a game that Verso had played a hundred times over, and he had no desire to climb to the top of the tower to dive into the small tubes, but he was happy to watch Maelle and Sciel compete to see who could jump the furthest and who could hit the jumps.
They'd all stripped to their swimsuits and were enjoying the water, or lounging on Esquie, and Verso had pulled on his shirt long enough to slip away to gather blackberries from the bushes that he remembered weren't too far. He'd remembered correctly, and now his fingertips were stained with the fresh fruit, and he'd have something waiting for the girls when they at last collapsed from their little adventure.
Gustave was watching them, cheering and laughed at their missed jumps, offering recommendations for their next ones, wearing only his white shirt to protect him from the sun, his hair no longer wet, but curling in a riot that Verso wanted to sink his fingers into and see if it was as soft as it looked. Verso stepped up beside Gustave and held out the blackberries he'd collected, eating another. "Blackberry?"
Gustave lit up and he reached out to take one. "Have you had these stashed away all this time?" He bit into it and groaned happily. "Oh they're perfect," he whispered.
Verso swallowed and felt himself flush as Gustave took another and popped them into his mouth immediately. "They always grow well around here. They're right around the corner, and no Nevrons get near them thanks to the Gestrals always coming down here to play." He ate another and grinned as Gustave grabbed a few more. "I had thought to give some to the girls-"
Gustave paused guiltily for only a moment before he popped the blackberry into his mouth.
"-but there are more we can go pick," Verso said and laughed as Gustave took half of the remaining blackberries and didn't let himself shiver at the brush of Gustave's fingertips against his and the way the blackberries were staining his lips a pretty shade that he wanted to taste, again and again. He ate the last few and waved up at Maelle as she jumped again, Lune and Sciel groaning as she once again missed the tube. He glanced to the side at Gustave licking his lips and did not shiver, no, but it was clear they definitely needed to go get more blackberries.
"Those are delicious," Gustave said with a happy sigh, grinning at Verso. "We'd better go get some for the girls."
Verso's eyes dropped to Gustave's lips for the smallest of moments before he nodded, clearing his throat. "Yeah. Come on. Over here." He turned and led Gustave toward the small copse of trees, and the full bushes underneath them, fresh berries shining in the sunlight. "See?"
Gustave walked further into the small tucked away spot and tipped his head up and into the sun, smiling happily, turning to look at Verso. "It's lovely," he agreed, fighting down a shiver as Verso walked closer. Verso's eyes flickered down, making his heart trip, because Verso couldn't be looking at his lips, could he, only for him to stop directly beside him. "Do these grow everywhere?"
Verso shook his head and reached out for two nearby blackberries and picked them, offering one to Gustave, taking the other for himself. "No, they can't survive most places, and the Gestrals have no need for them, and many have been picked clean by past Expeditions. Here, like this? It's rare." He glanced behind them at the cackling laughter of the girls and Esquie's shout of delight, smiling despite himself. "I'd forgotten this was here," he admitted, turning back to Gustave, only to find the man had stepped closer until they were almost touching.
Gustave swallowed and reached out to adjust Verso's shirt, carefully tugging away the bramble that had been there. "You'd had something on your, uh." He gestured down to where his hand was still tangled in the end of Verso's shirt, and the reminder that there was nothing under it save his bare chest and the chest hair he was almost close enough to touch had him swallowing. "Shirt," he added the last word far too long after the rest of the sentence, lifting his eyes to Verso's.
"Thank you," Verso breathed, waiting for Gustave to move back, but he didn't, he stayed right where he was, his fingertips tangled in Verso's shirt, and his heart skipped a beat in hope, in possibility, in the moment. He moved, slower than he'd imagined himself capable of with Gustave's eyes and hair shining in the sunlight, the tempting curve of his lips right there, so close, with tension curling between them like the sweetest scent they were both drunk on.
Gustave was certain that neither of them were moving, that they weren't making a conscious effort to move closer, but when Verso's nose brushed against his, and he could feel the softest of exhales against his lips, he knew that he would have to be the one to close the final distance. To take that step, if he dared, even though Verso's eyes had not left his lips, and the rest of the world had melted away as the gentle tension of the moment grew steadily. It would change everything, make things impossibly more difficult, would make him want a thousand, a million tomorrows, not just the one in front of them, but...
Gustave tightened his fingers in Verso's shirt, his knuckles brushing against the bare skin of Verso's chest.
But...
"Gustave."
The soft exhale of his name, the longing buried in it, the way Verso's eyes were half lidded, as though he was letting himself imagine it... Gustave could have no sooner stopped himself than he could have defeated the Paintress alone. It would change everything, but pulling back now was unimaginable, impossible. They were a gravity well, falling together, unable to stop, unwilling to stop. He tipped his chin up a fraction, catching the faintest surprise growing in Verso's eyes before he leaned up and into the kiss that they'd both been drawn into.
Verso trembled, leaning into the kiss, finishing the partial turn so Gustave could pull him closer, his hand sliding around to Gustave's back, pulling him closer as he leaned into the kiss. It could have gone on forever, he wanted it to, was desperate to stay right there, in this moment, lost in a forever that he would have been happy to drown in. They separated for only an instant, a soft gasping breath shared between them before Verso kissed Gustave again, this time much more eagerly, their lips moving together in a slow dance, the faintest taste of blackberries lingering between them.
Gustave broke the kiss to press their foreheads together, a small giggle escaping him as he managed a deeper breath, keeping his fingers tangled in Verso's shirt. The longing in Verso's eyes, the growing desperation there had him pulling Verso in for another kiss, a soft, teasing meeting of lips that moved against each other, not rushing to deepen the kiss, simply savoring. The faintest brush of fingertips against his cheek, tucking his hair back made him smile into the next kiss, and Gustave dropped his metal hand to Verso's hip, trying to pull him closer, to encourage him.
"Gustave," Verso breathed, his fingers slowly, carefully brushing Gustave's hair out of his face. It was softer than he imagined, and he watched Gustave's eyes flutter, and the way he leaned into the touch made his heart clench. He would dirty Gustave with his touch, but he couldn't pull away, not when Gustave was pulling him closer. His hand slid to the nap of Gustave's neck, tipping his head up just a fraction, stroking his thumb along Gustave's beard with a smile.
Gustave swallowed, watching Verso stare at him through those half-lidded eyes, still afraid to take what he wanted, what Gustave was damn near demanding he do. He released Verso's shirt and caught the brief flash of disappointment, but he wasn't going to let it linger. Not now, not like this. He wrapped both hands around Verso's cheeks and hauled him in for another kiss, pressing up against him eagerly, deepening the kiss with a groan. Verso's arm came around him at last, holding him tight, pulling him closer and there was no holding back now, every kiss was hotter and wetter than the last, desperate pants and gasps escaping him as Gustave sank his fingers into Verso's hair and kissed the man with everything he had.
"Putain," Verso panted when they finally had to break apart to catch their breath. Gustave's eyes were molten, his lips still parted and swollen enough from their kissing that Verso knew the feel of kissing him would be forever a sense memory embedded in his mind. "Gustave-"
"If you say or do anything other than pressing me up against the nearest tree, I am never kissing you again," Gustave interrupted, tightening his fingers in Verso's hair, pulling him in for a quick, sharp kiss. He felt Verso's hands drop to his thighs and smirked into the next kiss, leaping up to wrap his legs around Verso's waist as he felt the man move into the shade of a nearby tree, pressing him up against the rough bark.
"Good," Gustave praised softly into their next kiss, and felt Verso shudder against him. "Kiss me again?"
"Gladly," Verso breathed, groaning when Gustave's hands tightened in his hair and pulled him for another kiss, and another, and another.