Sequel

I have a midterm tomorrow morning. So what did I do? I knit a hat and then sat down to write this. It's kind of late, the midterm is kind of early and somehow I don't care. I just want to stay up and write some more. Geh.

Off to bed least I be too asleep to spell properly.

I suppose there's quite a bit in here. The power, the speech and symbolism and such and of course that last bit. Which I think several people will enjoy but I also think that Muan may have stepped over the courtship line even as he tried to transend the language barrier.

Read, Review and Enjoy.




He woke a few times during the night, momentary wakefulness as the comfortable heat around him shifted and then shifted back. No nightmares plagued him, no worry nipped at the edges of his mind. It was just him and it was warm and it was obscenely soft and strong. He could feel the strength flowing off of the two Sidhe, could feel the unspoken warning to other Sidhe.

Don’t touch him, he’s ours.

Each time he woke he burrowed deeper into the warmth and blankets. His face was against the crook of a neck, two sets of arms were around him and legs were to either side but not intruding on the space for his legs.

When he finally decided to wake himself up fully it was because his body was content and could get no more comfortable, and because Raoh and Osht were awake and silently staring at nothing, wondering when he would wake. They didn’t try to prod him, they knew better than that.

But Raoh’s arm was asleep and Osht was really, really hungry.

Rel stretched in spot, recalling at the last minute that there was something over his head, and turned from Raoh’s neck to Osht. In the dim light the Sidhe’s eyes glittered, flickering over his face. Just like that, Rel was back inside his own mind, his own head and wondering…

How had he stepped outside it? How had he viewed them and their minds like that without realising it or without being… hurt in some way?

“Up?” Osht murmured in a low tone, one not meant to wake a person being asked such a question.

“Mm,” Rel closed his eyes for a moment. His body started churning, ordering him up, ordering him about. So he opened his eyes again and glanced about the nest, completely uncertain which way was out or how to get out.

Osht moved backward and pushed his hand upward, bringing the blanket over the nest up. The male rolled out of the nest and then flicked the blanket up and over the couch expertly. Obviously Osht had used this nest before. Rel crawled out of the nest and stood, stretching once he was in the general apartment. His back cracked and he ignored it, he twisted to the side, expecting his hip to crack because of an old injury, but all the leg did was send him a confused signal.

Whatever. Rel shuffled to the bathroom, rubbing his eyes as he went. It was empty. Miraculously, considering the fact that there were how many of them and one bathroom now? As he closed the door, he saw Raoh take position outside of it. He wasn’t some little chit that needed protection at all times, he knew there were no dangers to him at that exact moment.

But he also knew that telling the Sidhe that would not change the fact that he was there.

Rel relieved himself and washed his hands, looking at his groggy self in the mirror. Hair was thrust up on one side. One cheek had the crease marks of blankets and there were little bits in the corners of his eyes from sleeping. He rubbed the sleep stuff from his eyes and ran his hands over his cheeks. Rel’s hands stopped halfway down his cheek. There was a scruffy patch on the side of his face.

A … what?

He turned his head to the side and looked at the patch. Hair, facial hair.

Sweet.

Rel grinned and opened the bathroom door. Raoh stood, hand poised to knock, bundle of clothing in hand. Rel took the clothing and made to close the bathroom door once more. Raoh put his foot in the door and gave Rel a look. Muan had had to have a bath with his ‘parents’ and so would Rel.

He grimaced but let Raoh into the bathroom. The Sidhe went immediately to the tub and plugged it, turning on the taps expertly as Rel shut the door. Rel really didn’t want to be naked in front of anyone, let alone the Sidhe, but he couldn’t stop that, he had to go with the flow, had to try like he told Paw he would.

So he stood silently, awkwardly, as Raoh added foam bath to the tub and bath salts that smelt of jasmine. Once the water shut off, Raoh turned and looked at him. Rel tried not to make a sound, but found himself edging away from the Sidhe, face turned away and down.

“Lel,” Raoh murmured, closing the distance very quickly.

Hands were on his shirt, pulling it over his head easily. Rel hugged himself and shivered, even as Raoh reached for his pants.

“No!” Rel slapped Raoh’s hands away and pulled sharply out of the Sidhe’s hands.

Raoh held up his hands as if surrendering and moved away, motioning from Rel to his pants, then to the bath. The Sidhe politely turned his back and waited. Rel stripped off his pants and stepped around Raoh. The tall male turned his head away from Rel, thusly seeing nothing, and waited until Rel was fully submersed before he turned towards the tub.

Rel scrubbed himself under Raoh’s watchful eyes. Washed and scrubbed, Rel sat in the tub, feeling absolutely ridiculous. His mind did a slow circle as he tried to come up with something to do. A bubble caught his attention, turning him towards the wall as he reached out and grasped at it.

And caught an astonishing vision of Muan and him in the tub. Him moaning as Muan brought his hips down very slowly and steadily, as the Sidhe filled everything, mind and body.

Rel gasped and sat up in the tub. The bubble popped, just out of view of his mind, out of his capability, leaving Rel grasping at the last thought attached to the image, the thought he completely missed, only seeing enough of it to know that he was missing something.

Raoh stood with a towel, waiting for Rel to get out of the tub. The Sidhe looked him up and down critically before giving the towel a shake to draw Rel’s attention to it and looking away from Rel pointedly. The man stood and stepped into the towel. Raoh wrapped it around him and ran his hands up and down to dry him off.

Once dried, Rel dressed and was escorted to the kitchen area. Osht was making breakfast for them while Nave cut fruits, for a part of breakfast assumingly. Ashun was making juice. Muan had a cup of coffee, Rel noted, annoyed. Rel received another cup of tea with a purple flower.

“Slept through the night,” Rel noted out loud.

“Yes,” Ashun responded, moving to the table with the pitcher of juice, “you need to eat as well, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and drink all your tea, purple flower is some kind of … good thing. Drink your medicine and then you can have a cup of coffee-”

Rel picked up the tea mug and downed the entire thing quickly and without bothering to taste it, before smacking it back onto the table. The Sidhe winced as one at the sound, but Muan did get up to pour another cup of coffee. Rel accepted the cup, sweetened and with milk to his tastes and sipped it happily.

“… and it doesn’t matter if you don’t like the taste of it,” Ashun murmured as finish before she began pouring cups of juice, “You. Need a routine, a set. Discipline. Nave- he’s doing it again.”

“No,” Nave dropped her knife and turned to Muan, setting her hands on her hips and giving the taller male a look. Muan blinked at her innocently and shook his head.

“Are too.” Muan shook his head at Ashun’s accusation, “uh-huh.” Another shake, “yes you are, stop lying.” Muan lowered his head and whined, “finally.”

“What was he doing?”

“Using his powers to intrude on my body,” Ashun responded, pushing a glass of milk towards Rel, “that is not something I permit. I will not allow Paw into my mind, I will not stand by as a healer thrusts himself into me.”

A long, long pause. Raoh blinked at Ashun, Osht turned from the stove, spatula in hand and a confused look on his face. Nave’s knife, back in the female’s hand, had stopped mid-slice. Ashun frowned and looked at Raoh and then over the kitchen.

“What was my mistake?”

“You,” Rel murmured after having a sip of his coffee, “insinuated that Muan would…” Rel waggled his fingers, “you know… you.”

Violet eyes blinked once. Twice, before they snapped open in a shocked look, “oh.”

Osht slid a plate in front of Rel, omelette and a side of fruit, two pieces of toast and a look that said he had best eat it all. It was more food than Rel was used to eating. Eat he did, but in small quantities, enjoy a sampling, not gorge on food. His metabolism was not fast, he couldn’t eat this much food in a sitting and not gain weight and he didn’t exercise enough to …

Everyone was staring at him. Rel sighed and picked up his fork, cutting a small piece off the omelette and placing it in his mouth. And then everyone went back to whatever the hell it was they had been doing. He ate until his stomach told him he was full and then he ate the fruit because Nave gave him a nasty look. He drank the juice and then finished off his coffee and moved to the living area and the only upright couch.

Rel sat and turned on the television, watching the news as the others ate. Osht and Raoh joined him, each setting an arm behind him, claiming him without touching him.

Muan moved to the bookshelf and selected a book, reading through it for almost an hour before coming to Rel and handing him the book. Rel glanced at the page and up at Muan, not bothering to read it.

“What?” Rel asked Muan, “Te?” motioning to the book.

Muan pointed to a passage, “te… te?”

“What’s this?” Rel asked, getting a nod from Muan, “uhm. It says, this one has eyes like the greenest leaves, fresh from the bud, hair like silken midnight and skin soft under the touch. Such an example is rarely see, for the body is as beautiful as the mind.

“It’s very beautiful, Muan, what about it do you need me to explain?”

Rel looked at Muan and found the Sidhe looking intently at him. Rel blinked at the Sidhe, looked at the passage and back at Muan.

“Te…” a speaking motion, “Lel,” and a motion to the passage.

His heart skipped a beat, “What tell Lel this?” he motioned to the passage.

“Auh.”

“You… Muan thinks,” Rel motioned to the passage, then to himself, “about Lel?”

“Auh. Lel…” Muan struggled for a moment, “beau-tee-fuhl.”


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