The sleep enchantment he had cast was a potent one. It needed to be in order to mask the curse that Hythlodaeus had found himself afflicted by. Now that the curse is gone, all he needs to do is wait and let the sleep enchantment resolve itself. Hythlodaeus could rest peacefully in his bed until then.
In the meantime Emet-Selch could consider the conversation that needed to follow. Namely, how to broach Hythlodaeus' obvious sentiments. It would be cruel to continue to pass the days fully aware of his friends feelings without acknowledging them. They had been left untended for thousands of years thanks to his staid youth, but better late than never, hm?
Emet-Selch busies himself with making some tea in the connected kitchenette while he waits. The water had been boiled and now he idly readies the teapot with its fragrant flowery mixture.
It's with a sigh and a soft stirring that Hythlodaeus wakes. At first he's confused about where he is, because this is surely not his room, but then he turns over and spots Emet-Selch making tea.
"Emet-Selch?" His memories are fuzzy at best. He remembers... being angry? Or wanting to hurt others. A malicious magic had burned through his veins- and yet now, it seems to be oddly absent. Emet-Selch's doing?
Trying to stand after such a sleep is a foolish idea, but he tries it anyway. When his legs wobble slightly he has to sit back down, of course.
Ah, speaking of...It seems the spell has finally worn off.
"You don't recall?" Emet-Selch begins picking through the cupboard for two cups. What fortunate timing, perhaps a cup of hot tea would ward away any remaining grogginess from the sleep spell. "You found yourself at the mercy of a curse. I conjured a sleep spell and brought you here to ensure you didn't do something you'd regret at its behest."
Emet-Selch places two cups and saucers, along with the pot of tea, on a square tray that he can easily tote to the sitting area nearby. He sets both cups on the table while he lets the tea steep - a silent invitation for Hythlodaeus to join him.
"The traps you conjured while in its grasp were dispelled sometime after. A small blessing that they remained intact until then."
He gets to his feet again, before making his way over to Emet-Selch with a wince. Sitting on the chair he breathes a sigh of relief- walking isn't easy after so long asleep.
"I cannot believe I would succumb to such a thing. Oh, I do hope nobody was truly hurt because of them."
But it sounds like Emet-Selch took care of it. He smiles slightly.
There's nothing but a glance in terms of 'your welcome', but Emet-Selch always has his own funny way of appreciating being thanked.
He begins pouring them each a cup of tea now that it's had a few minutes to steep properly. Hythlodaeus' cup is filled first in his own subtle kind of regard before filling his own. "No one is beyond the reaches of enchantments or curses."
Emet-Selch lifts his cup and saucer to take a sip. "Every trap that I encountered remained untouched - A small boon given the number of injuries elsewhere." He sighs and his tone turns to complaining. "Tending to the Infirmary in your stead has certainly been a fine mess without more 'help'."
"Ah... thank goodness." He seems to relax at that. But as Hades complains, he simply smiles and looks away. Helping people again... of course.
He lifts his hands to undo his messy braid, running fingers through the tangles before letting out a 'tsk' and conjuring up a hairbrush.
"Did somebody ask you to take my place? I certainly didn't." The implication is obvious enough- his friend likely helped of his own volition, because he has ever been one to aid others in need.
Emet-Selch takes a long sip of his tea in order to momentarily avoid answering the question. Instead, he shoots Hythlodaeus a glare in response. He knows what that question is getting at and he refuses to be baited into something so dreadful as admitting to being a 'good person'.
"Regardless of what I may have been asked or not," He clears his throat, dodging an answer entirely. "The Infirmary was left fully stocked and with all current patients as intact as they can be. I will take my leave of it in the morning. The burden of their care is yours to bear again."
Brushing through his hair, he continues. "Your bedside manners may leave something to be desired, but you are a skilled healer. We could use somebody like you there permanently."
Too bad there's no room for another Warden there.
"I recall we were in a hallway when I lost consciousness." He suddenly recalls the way Emet-Selch had held him, and his gaze flicks away to his tea.
"You seem to be carrying me an awful lot, lately... my apologies." He chuckles.
Emet-Selch can't help but chortle all on his own when he sees that look of demure on his friends face - from the thought of being held by him, no doubt. The sound starts off amused but then devolves into a pathetic sounding noise - filled with regret and sadness. "One would wonder if I was capable of sight in my wayward youth." He mutters.
"I am the one who owes you an apology." He begins, looking at his reflection in the surface of his tea. "For all the countless years that I have let your affections remain unaddressed." He takes the moment to set his tea down and look at his friend directly. "Your actions do not lend themselves to the affections felt for a dear friend, but something more. Is that the case?"
His actions still almost comically fast, his brush halfway through his hair. It's clear that he wasn't expecting such a question, and after a moment he slowly lowers the brush. It's likely clear from the way he has to figure out a response first that Emet-Selch hit the nail on the head, so to speak.
"...So you've figured as much out, have you?" He eventually sighs, picking up his tea after letting the brush disappear. He doesn't really know what to say. He's never had to have this talk with anyone in his long life. He's had crushes here and there, of course, but love? No, only Hades had ever stirred such feelings within him.
But he's been afraid all this while that his feelings would be rebuffed. And so here he is, thousands of years later, still nursing affections he had longed to admit to but couldn't. Better to remain friends and keep quiet than risk ruining everything they had... right?
But Emet-Selch is no fool. If he's figured it out, it would be an insult to lie.
There's a crook of a half-smile on Emet-Selch's face as he relents with a shrug. "You do a poor job at hiding it. One only needs to look you in the eye to know for certain." There is such a noticeable difference to how his gaze changes when looking from strangers to himself.
That is not to say those mannerisms were any different than many thousands of years ago. Which brings him to the crux of his point: "But millennia stand between your feelings and our present day. The passage of time has taken a toll upon me that I would wish upon no other. Do you suppose that enough of the man you love has survived its passing to warrant your sentiments?"
Hythlodaeus is no fool either. He's glimpsed the underlying heartbreak that was not there before.
Hythlodaeus surveys Emet-Selch with those keen eyes of his, before smiling back.
"You are you. In all your grouchy, sentimental, caring glory. Your soul wears the scars of time but it is as radiant as ever. I would be lying if I had you hadn't changed, but that hasn't made much of a difference where my feelings are concerned."
His feelings... it feels strange to admit it out loud. His smile fades, and he lets his sight shift back to normal. He braces for rejection, body tense and brows creased with worry. It will hurt, he reminds himself. And Emet-Selch will know it.
He feels a brief desire to flee, to make an excuse and leave. But that would be folly at this point.
"I... I understand that it may not be what you had hoped for. But I have no control over how I feel in this regard."
Ah, he can see the uncomfortable tense as easily as though it is words written on a page. Granted, their people were never so adept at discussing matters of the heart. It is not a topic that they navigated with ease.
"What I had hoped for..." Emet-Selch sighs faintly. He closes his eyes in consideration and lets the moment sit. Words to describe his own sentiments would need to be chosen with the utmost care.
"I thought myself incapable of hope in bygone years." He begins evenly. "Yet every day, I held fast to the wish that we would meet again. One day we could behold the beauty of the world as we had done so long ago." He finally looks to Hythlodaeus with something akin to pain in his own eyes. Emet-Selch lifts a hand and gently lifts his friends chin with the crook of his finger. "Every day I longed to have you by my side; the person of whom I have given my heart."
He simply stares at Emet-Selch for a moment, obviously having some trouble believing what he'd just heard. His heart? After a few long seconds he moves a hand up to take his friend's, small smile returning.
"You've truly wished for such a thing all this time?"
He's... flattered, of course. Emet-Selch's words seem sincere, and he doesn't think the other man would toy with his feelings in such a way anyway.
"Tell me true, dear friend... how long have you felt this way?"
Before the Sundering? The Final Days? How could they have been so blind for so long?
It has been so many thousands of years between himself and the days of his brethren, and still he has not outgrown the flutter of nervousness he feels at this moment. Perhaps such trivial emotions prove that more of his humanity remained than he assumed. “It’s difficult to say for sure. Matters of the heart often obscure themselves from our notice.”
He looks to their hands as he recounts feelings from long ago. “I remember ...that as the years passed, our time spent together began to become the most cherished part of my days. Every day, I finished my work in anticipation of it, and would hurry to arrive there punctually.” He looks at Hythlodaeus with a purse to his lips. “Even if those I waited for refused to extend the same courtesy of timeliness.” The fond chiding is brief for their long lost comrade.
“On one of those very same days——one of no real import——you smiled at me while we walked together through the streets of Amaurot. I realized in that moment that my regard for you was something beyond our peers.” His bright tone fades. "Yet I said nothing."
Emet-Selch vaguely tightens his clasp on Hythlodaeus' hand. "So often have I thought of the moment you walked away from me forever and how I kept my silence."
"You were always early," Hythlodaeus smiles, knowing. "And Azem... dear Azem was always late."
But Hythlodaeus was always on time. Punctual, but hardly early the way Hades always was. His smile remains as Emet-Selch continues, though it does seem rather sad in the moment that his friend grips his hand tighter.
"Should I have stayed, I do wonder what would have happened to me. Sundered into fourteen shards, most likely. The outcome remains the same."
He was never supposed to live any longer than he did.
"But there is little we can do to change what has passed. Now, perhaps it is the time to look forward." He leans in, presses his lips tenderly to Emet-Selch's fingers.
"My dearest friend... I confess it. I have loved you for millennia. Yet I said nothing, believing you to be far beyond my reach. Even now, I struggle to believe it... that you would feel something for me in return."
One might notice the rare look of warmth in his eyes as his friend continues. It's difficult to explain the elation of loving someone so completely and being loved in return, but one could recognize the feeling written on his face.
He takes his friend's hand and draws it to his heart. "I will never be beyond your reach. For even adrift on the currents of the Lifestream amidst countless souls, in the depths of utter darkness, or in other lives entirely, a part of me will always be yours. You only needs look within."
Emet-Selch slides the other palm gently against the side of his beautiful friend's face. He leans in and softly brushes of their lips against one another.
He all but melts into the kiss- surreal as the moment is, he can't recall being so truly happy for a long time. Of course he'd always cherished their time together before but this is different, no longer marked by wistful gazes and longing sighs. Emet-Selch loves him back. There is no greater happiness, surely?
For a few moments he's content to savour the feel of his dearest friend's lips on his own, and when he pulls away slightly he reaches out to brush some of Emet-Selch's hair from his face.
"The lifestream could not keep us apart, and twelve thousand years could not dampen our feelings. I daresay we could weather any trial that came our way."
Though it would be nice if they could simply exist without those. He leans back in for another kiss, unable to truly stop himself now that he has explicit permission.
His expression is one of utter adoration as his friend provides reflective words and affectionate gestures. If ever there were a look of a man who is utter putty in someone's hands.
And so he lets his eyes fall close as Hythlodaeus seizes the opportunity to return his affections. Emet-Selch nips back with each kiss, intent on making it worth the wait. Ah, His lips are as soft as he imagined they would be.
Perhaps this could be considered rather forward of him, but given how long they had waited and pined there is no reason to continue doing so. They had waited their entire lives, and through to death, to be together like this. The last thing he needs to do is not seize the opportunity.
Humming a pleased sound at the affectionate nips, he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss, hand entwining itself gently in Emet-Selch's hair. His tea is all but forgotten for now, his entire focus on how his friend tastes and feels.
Forward perhaps, but if neither of them care then who is here to judge them? They deserve this, and they both know it. Emet-Selch is just lucky that Hythlodaeus hasn't all but pulled him into his lap yet.
With a hand still free, he runs his thumb along Emet-Selch's jaw, down his throat, and over his shoulder. Mapping out his dear friend in a way he's never been able to do before.
Nervousness has quickly been dismissed by the all-consuming feeling of love. It's a sensation that makes the body warm and light - like its own sort of intoxication that nothing else could replicate. It's almost painful to feel it rush back given how he'd taken so long to carve the feeling from his heart.
Emet-selch pulls away just enough to give him some space to breath - Even sorcerers of eld needed to breath now and again. It's not far enough that he still can't feel their lips touch, but the long drawn-out breaths would be prevalent enough.
"We have seen the end together and sank into the depths of the sunless sea, so let me make a vow anew:" He forces a pause with a light kiss. "My heart is yours eternal; in different lives, in different bodies, until the very last star burns out." And then he leans in one more, so that his friend may trace his hands over whatever he likes
Emet-Selch isn't the only one overcome with emotion- Hythlodaeus feels light, almost, and the way his heart squeezes with every word his love says has him smiling like a lovesick fool.
He isn't close enough, he realises. He swiftly and suddenly shifts to sit with his knees either side of Emet-Selch, perching himself on his lap, and he takes Emet-Selch's face in his hands and kisses him once more before leaning his forehead to the other man's.
"Hades..." He closes his eyes, savours the moment. His tea is all but forgotten, but there are more important things to tend to right now.
There's a moment when it seems his friend may aim to pull back, but it turns out to be quite the opposite. Emet-Selch welcomes the gesture by slowly slipping his hands around Hythlodaeus' waist, making sure to take his time and trail his hands against him, before clasping his palms casually behind his back.
To be able to feel such reassuringly tactile weight on him is a small delight. As it has always been, though now he does not have to insist at keeping an arms length. He leans in to meet his friend's forehead against his own. "Hythlodaeus." There's the faintest smirk as he murmurs his friends name in return.
He lets his eyes flutter open in order to look for himself and judge how far he seems to want to go.
For a moment he seems content to sit where he is, pressed close to Emet-Selch with his arms loosely around his shoulders. Soon he tips his head to kiss him again, considering what he wants while his mouth is busy.
What he wants more than anything is to be as close as possible to his love. But he's also trying not to consider that option too deeply, lest his body get carried away and potentially make things awkward. He doesn't know what Hades wants, after all. And he wouldn't want to ruin such an important moment.
Eventually he pulls back slightly. There's clear want in his eyes but he's once again holding himself back. Smiling regardless, he runs his fingers over Emet-Selch's cheek, fond.
Emet-Selch observes fondly for a moment as he barely leans his head into his friends hand. After letting him brush the side of his face, he puts a reassuring palm over Hythlodaeus' hand. "We've all the time in the world and a millennia to make up for. We need not try to accomplish it all in a single night."
He smirks faintly. "I find 'anticipation' to have its own allure."
He leans in to a brief kiss, before wrapping his arms around his friend and holding him close. He nuzzles into him, eyes closed as he sighs contentedly. Now that he has him, how can he possibly let him go?
"May I stay with you tonight? Simply to be by your side for a little longer?"
Emet-Selch makes a soft 'tch' noise in response to Hythlodaeus' question. "Now you ask permission? It didn't seem that you were so inclined to do so before." Granted he had brought his friend here of his own volition and so there was an implication he was welcome to stay...but that's besides the point. "You may do as you like, as you always have."
The embrace is a comforting warmth he had long craved. Emet-Selch rests his head on Hythlodaeus' shoulder and breathes out. Moments like this are the peace he'd been searching for all those years.
"Of course." He chuckles into his shoulder. Clearly, Emet-Selch has no issue with Hythlodaeus' whims if he loves him in return.
Or perhaps he loves him in spite of them? A possibility, but ultimately Hythlodaeus is certain Hades likes the antics that he drags him into.
"'Tis late, and... although I have slept a while, I don't feel rested." He sits back, playing with a stray lock of Emet-Selch's hair. He wonders how to broach the subject of his nightmares. After all, he knows he can move around quite a lot during them, and it will surely wake his friend.
"My dreams are wholly unpleasant most nights. I may wake you." His smile is more muted as he speaks, trying to play it off as no big deal but he can tell already that Hades will understand.
Emet-Selch's eyes open and he narrows them at nothing. The terrors they witnessed during the Final Days would give anyone nightmares - Even he had experienced nightmares afterward. But the memories of the Final Days had long since blended with waking horrors he had to endure and they had long since dulled in the passing years.
Until he would conjure them of his own accord and walk amongst the flames and collapsing buildings so he could recall everything in vivid detail. Terrible and comforting in the worst way.
He leans back and gives a single small nod. "While I cannot tend to the terrible things you may see while sleeping, know that I will be here when you wake."
For Hythlodaeus, time hasn't passed the way it has for Emet-Selch. Everything is still so recent, and he had awoken only to see his brethren on the moon fall into madness. Though he can hide how he feels about all of it during the day, at night is when his inner demons wake, tormenting him with nightmares of his home in flames.
"A comforting thought." He shifts, sliding off Emet-Selch's lap and getting to his feet, holding out a hand to help him up.
Long ago he would have dismissed such a simple gesture, But now that the years have instilled him with less concern about his reputation and the advent of desperately avoiding back pain, He doesn't even though about grabbing his friends hand to haul himself up.
"Have you anything to sleep in," He eye's Hythlodaeus' garbs critically. "Or are you intending to doze as you are?"
Hythlodaeus keeps his expression carefully neutral, but he's secretly amused. Well, it's not a lie, but he wasn't intending to actually sleep naked in Emet-Selch's bed.
"But perhaps, if my dearest friend would be so benevolent, I might have something to rest in besides my robes..."
Where he might have gasped in surprise or recoiled from shock in the far-slung past, Emet-Selch maintains an expression that is coaxed into a simple arch of his eyebrow.
"This is supposed to goad me how, exactly." He braces a his head against his hand and leans to one side with an amused look on his face. "Embarrassment? Flustering my 'delicate' sensibilities?" Emet-Selch thrusts a palm forward and gestures up and down at Hythlodaeus as if to say 'have you seen yourself'. "Are you sure threatening me with artistry is your best gambit?"
It's so very odd, not knowing how his dearest friend ticks anymore. No matter, he can learn. He smiles, reaching up to unfasten his robes.
"Oh?" He moves towards the bed, shrugging off his robes and sitting down in nothing more than his podea. "Threatening you with artistry? My, I'm flattered... well, I'll sleep in nothing if you will. But if not, I will need something else."
He sits with one hand propping him up on the bed, smirking. He fully intends to cling to his partner with or without clothing, but he can at least behave himself if needed... as he's sure Emet-Selch can, maddeningly enough.
"It will be something you are fully capable of doing without my help."
Emet-Selch stands up and makes his way to the side of his bed. Without a word he peels off his own shirt and gives his friend the briefest playful glance while tossing his shirt on the nightstand. He still has some loose-fitting slacks on, but ah well.
He pulls back the covers, slips under them, and pulls them over his waist. "Goodnight, Hythlodaeus." And the lights within the room dim.
He turns to slip into bed properly himself, sighing and cuddling up to Hades. The skin to skin contact is soothing, and he makes a pleased sound and nuzzles further into the warmth of his friend.
"Fine, I will sleep in my podea... since my dear friend refuses to make me anything else to sleep in, despite being the one to bring me here to begin with!"
"Ah, yes. How do you tolerate it." Emet-Selch closes his eyes and practically melts into place where he lay. The weight of his friend braced against him coupled with the soft smell of the one he loves more than life itself. It is moments like this that make the past seem so distant.
"A mystery, to be sure." He mutters, feigning at grumbling without any means to make such complaints convincing.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
The sleep enchantment he had cast was a potent one. It needed to be in order to mask the curse that Hythlodaeus had found himself afflicted by. Now that the curse is gone, all he needs to do is wait and let the sleep enchantment resolve itself. Hythlodaeus could rest peacefully in his bed until then.
In the meantime Emet-Selch could consider the conversation that needed to follow. Namely, how to broach Hythlodaeus' obvious sentiments. It would be cruel to continue to pass the days fully aware of his friends feelings without acknowledging them. They had been left untended for thousands of years thanks to his staid youth, but better late than never, hm?
Emet-Selch busies himself with making some tea in the connected kitchenette while he waits. The water had been boiled and now he idly readies the teapot with its fragrant flowery mixture.
no subject
"Emet-Selch?" His memories are fuzzy at best. He remembers... being angry? Or wanting to hurt others. A malicious magic had burned through his veins- and yet now, it seems to be oddly absent. Emet-Selch's doing?
Trying to stand after such a sleep is a foolish idea, but he tries it anyway. When his legs wobble slightly he has to sit back down, of course.
"What happened?"
no subject
"You don't recall?" Emet-Selch begins picking through the cupboard for two cups. What fortunate timing, perhaps a cup of hot tea would ward away any remaining grogginess from the sleep spell. "You found yourself at the mercy of a curse. I conjured a sleep spell and brought you here to ensure you didn't do something you'd regret at its behest."
Emet-Selch places two cups and saucers, along with the pot of tea, on a square tray that he can easily tote to the sitting area nearby. He sets both cups on the table while he lets the tea steep - a silent invitation for Hythlodaeus to join him.
"The traps you conjured while in its grasp were dispelled sometime after. A small blessing that they remained intact until then."
no subject
He gets to his feet again, before making his way over to Emet-Selch with a wince. Sitting on the chair he breathes a sigh of relief- walking isn't easy after so long asleep.
"I cannot believe I would succumb to such a thing. Oh, I do hope nobody was truly hurt because of them."
But it sounds like Emet-Selch took care of it. He smiles slightly.
"Thank you for taking care of that."
no subject
He begins pouring them each a cup of tea now that it's had a few minutes to steep properly. Hythlodaeus' cup is filled first in his own subtle kind of regard before filling his own. "No one is beyond the reaches of enchantments or curses."
Emet-Selch lifts his cup and saucer to take a sip. "Every trap that I encountered remained untouched - A small boon given the number of injuries elsewhere." He sighs and his tone turns to complaining. "Tending to the Infirmary in your stead has certainly been a fine mess without more 'help'."
no subject
He lifts his hands to undo his messy braid, running fingers through the tangles before letting out a 'tsk' and conjuring up a hairbrush.
"Did somebody ask you to take my place? I certainly didn't." The implication is obvious enough- his friend likely helped of his own volition, because he has ever been one to aid others in need.
no subject
"Regardless of what I may have been asked or not," He clears his throat, dodging an answer entirely. "The Infirmary was left fully stocked and with all current patients as intact as they can be. I will take my leave of it in the morning. The burden of their care is yours to bear again."
no subject
Brushing through his hair, he continues. "Your bedside manners may leave something to be desired, but you are a skilled healer. We could use somebody like you there permanently."
Too bad there's no room for another Warden there.
"I recall we were in a hallway when I lost consciousness." He suddenly recalls the way Emet-Selch had held him, and his gaze flicks away to his tea.
"You seem to be carrying me an awful lot, lately... my apologies." He chuckles.
no subject
"I am the one who owes you an apology." He begins, looking at his reflection in the surface of his tea. "For all the countless years that I have let your affections remain unaddressed." He takes the moment to set his tea down and look at his friend directly. "Your actions do not lend themselves to the affections felt for a dear friend, but something more. Is that the case?"
no subject
"...So you've figured as much out, have you?" He eventually sighs, picking up his tea after letting the brush disappear. He doesn't really know what to say. He's never had to have this talk with anyone in his long life. He's had crushes here and there, of course, but love? No, only Hades had ever stirred such feelings within him.
But he's been afraid all this while that his feelings would be rebuffed. And so here he is, thousands of years later, still nursing affections he had longed to admit to but couldn't. Better to remain friends and keep quiet than risk ruining everything they had... right?
But Emet-Selch is no fool. If he's figured it out, it would be an insult to lie.
no subject
That is not to say those mannerisms were any different than many thousands of years ago. Which brings him to the crux of his point: "But millennia stand between your feelings and our present day. The passage of time has taken a toll upon me that I would wish upon no other. Do you suppose that enough of the man you love has survived its passing to warrant your sentiments?"
Hythlodaeus is no fool either. He's glimpsed the underlying heartbreak that was not there before.
no subject
"You are you. In all your grouchy, sentimental, caring glory. Your soul wears the scars of time but it is as radiant as ever. I would be lying if I had you hadn't changed, but that hasn't made much of a difference where my feelings are concerned."
His feelings... it feels strange to admit it out loud. His smile fades, and he lets his sight shift back to normal. He braces for rejection, body tense and brows creased with worry. It will hurt, he reminds himself. And Emet-Selch will know it.
He feels a brief desire to flee, to make an excuse and leave. But that would be folly at this point.
"I... I understand that it may not be what you had hoped for. But I have no control over how I feel in this regard."
no subject
"What I had hoped for..." Emet-Selch sighs faintly. He closes his eyes in consideration and lets the moment sit. Words to describe his own sentiments would need to be chosen with the utmost care.
"I thought myself incapable of hope in bygone years." He begins evenly. "Yet every day, I held fast to the wish that we would meet again. One day we could behold the beauty of the world as we had done so long ago." He finally looks to Hythlodaeus with something akin to pain in his own eyes. Emet-Selch lifts a hand and gently lifts his friends chin with the crook of his finger. "Every day I longed to have you by my side; the person of whom I have given my heart."
no subject
"You've truly wished for such a thing all this time?"
He's... flattered, of course. Emet-Selch's words seem sincere, and he doesn't think the other man would toy with his feelings in such a way anyway.
"Tell me true, dear friend... how long have you felt this way?"
Before the Sundering? The Final Days? How could they have been so blind for so long?
no subject
He looks to their hands as he recounts feelings from long ago. “I remember ...that as the years passed, our time spent together began to become the most cherished part of my days. Every day, I finished my work in anticipation of it, and would hurry to arrive there punctually.” He looks at Hythlodaeus with a purse to his lips. “Even if those I waited for refused to extend the same courtesy of timeliness.” The fond chiding is brief for their long lost comrade.
“On one of those very same days——one of no real import——you smiled at me while we walked together through the streets of Amaurot. I realized in that moment that my regard for you was something beyond our peers.” His bright tone fades. "Yet I said nothing."
Emet-Selch vaguely tightens his clasp on Hythlodaeus' hand. "So often have I thought of the moment you walked away from me forever and how I kept my silence."
no subject
But Hythlodaeus was always on time. Punctual, but hardly early the way Hades always was. His smile remains as Emet-Selch continues, though it does seem rather sad in the moment that his friend grips his hand tighter.
"Should I have stayed, I do wonder what would have happened to me. Sundered into fourteen shards, most likely. The outcome remains the same."
He was never supposed to live any longer than he did.
"But there is little we can do to change what has passed. Now, perhaps it is the time to look forward." He leans in, presses his lips tenderly to Emet-Selch's fingers.
"My dearest friend... I confess it. I have loved you for millennia. Yet I said nothing, believing you to be far beyond my reach. Even now, I struggle to believe it... that you would feel something for me in return."
no subject
He takes his friend's hand and draws it to his heart. "I will never be beyond your reach. For even adrift on the currents of the Lifestream amidst countless souls, in the depths of utter darkness, or in other lives entirely, a part of me will always be yours. You only needs look within."
Emet-Selch slides the other palm gently against the side of his beautiful friend's face. He leans in and softly brushes of their lips against one another.
no subject
For a few moments he's content to savour the feel of his dearest friend's lips on his own, and when he pulls away slightly he reaches out to brush some of Emet-Selch's hair from his face.
"The lifestream could not keep us apart, and twelve thousand years could not dampen our feelings. I daresay we could weather any trial that came our way."
Though it would be nice if they could simply exist without those. He leans back in for another kiss, unable to truly stop himself now that he has explicit permission.
no subject
And so he lets his eyes fall close as Hythlodaeus seizes the opportunity to return his affections. Emet-Selch nips back with each kiss, intent on making it worth the wait. Ah, His lips are as soft as he imagined they would be.
Perhaps this could be considered rather forward of him, but given how long they had waited and pined there is no reason to continue doing so. They had waited their entire lives, and through to death, to be together like this. The last thing he needs to do is not seize the opportunity.
no subject
Forward perhaps, but if neither of them care then who is here to judge them? They deserve this, and they both know it. Emet-Selch is just lucky that Hythlodaeus hasn't all but pulled him into his lap yet.
With a hand still free, he runs his thumb along Emet-Selch's jaw, down his throat, and over his shoulder. Mapping out his dear friend in a way he's never been able to do before.
no subject
Emet-selch pulls away just enough to give him some space to breath - Even sorcerers of eld needed to breath now and again. It's not far enough that he still can't feel their lips touch, but the long drawn-out breaths would be prevalent enough.
"We have seen the end together and sank into the depths of the sunless sea, so let me make a vow anew:" He forces a pause with a light kiss. "My heart is yours eternal; in different lives, in different bodies, until the very last star burns out." And then he leans in one more, so that his friend may trace his hands over whatever he likes
no subject
He isn't close enough, he realises. He swiftly and suddenly shifts to sit with his knees either side of Emet-Selch, perching himself on his lap, and he takes Emet-Selch's face in his hands and kisses him once more before leaning his forehead to the other man's.
"Hades..." He closes his eyes, savours the moment. His tea is all but forgotten, but there are more important things to tend to right now.
no subject
To be able to feel such reassuringly tactile weight on him is a small delight. As it has always been, though now he does not have to insist at keeping an arms length. He leans in to meet his friend's forehead against his own. "Hythlodaeus." There's the faintest smirk as he murmurs his friends name in return.
He lets his eyes flutter open in order to look for himself and judge how far he seems to want to go.
no subject
What he wants more than anything is to be as close as possible to his love. But he's also trying not to consider that option too deeply, lest his body get carried away and potentially make things awkward. He doesn't know what Hades wants, after all. And he wouldn't want to ruin such an important moment.
Eventually he pulls back slightly. There's clear want in his eyes but he's once again holding himself back. Smiling regardless, he runs his fingers over Emet-Selch's cheek, fond.
no subject
Emet-Selch observes fondly for a moment as he barely leans his head into his friends hand. After letting him brush the side of his face, he puts a reassuring palm over Hythlodaeus' hand. "We've all the time in the world and a millennia to make up for. We need not try to accomplish it all in a single night."
He smirks faintly. "I find 'anticipation' to have its own allure."
no subject
He leans in to a brief kiss, before wrapping his arms around his friend and holding him close. He nuzzles into him, eyes closed as he sighs contentedly. Now that he has him, how can he possibly let him go?
"May I stay with you tonight? Simply to be by your side for a little longer?"
no subject
The embrace is a comforting warmth he had long craved. Emet-Selch rests his head on Hythlodaeus' shoulder and breathes out. Moments like this are the peace he'd been searching for all those years.
no subject
Or perhaps he loves him in spite of them? A possibility, but ultimately Hythlodaeus is certain Hades likes the antics that he drags him into.
"'Tis late, and... although I have slept a while, I don't feel rested." He sits back, playing with a stray lock of Emet-Selch's hair. He wonders how to broach the subject of his nightmares. After all, he knows he can move around quite a lot during them, and it will surely wake his friend.
"My dreams are wholly unpleasant most nights. I may wake you." His smile is more muted as he speaks, trying to play it off as no big deal but he can tell already that Hades will understand.
no subject
Until he would conjure them of his own accord and walk amongst the flames and collapsing buildings so he could recall everything in vivid detail. Terrible and comforting in the worst way.
He leans back and gives a single small nod. "While I cannot tend to the terrible things you may see while sleeping, know that I will be here when you wake."
no subject
"A comforting thought." He shifts, sliding off Emet-Selch's lap and getting to his feet, holding out a hand to help him up.
no subject
"Have you anything to sleep in," He eye's Hythlodaeus' garbs critically. "Or are you intending to doze as you are?"
no subject
Hythlodaeus keeps his expression carefully neutral, but he's secretly amused. Well, it's not a lie, but he wasn't intending to actually sleep naked in Emet-Selch's bed.
"But perhaps, if my dearest friend would be so benevolent, I might have something to rest in besides my robes..."
no subject
"This is supposed to goad me how, exactly." He braces a his head against his hand and leans to one side with an amused look on his face. "Embarrassment? Flustering my 'delicate' sensibilities?" Emet-Selch thrusts a palm forward and gestures up and down at Hythlodaeus as if to say 'have you seen yourself'. "Are you sure threatening me with artistry is your best gambit?"
no subject
"Oh?" He moves towards the bed, shrugging off his robes and sitting down in nothing more than his podea. "Threatening you with artistry? My, I'm flattered... well, I'll sleep in nothing if you will. But if not, I will need something else."
He sits with one hand propping him up on the bed, smirking. He fully intends to cling to his partner with or without clothing, but he can at least behave himself if needed... as he's sure Emet-Selch can, maddeningly enough.
"So what will it be, Hades?"
no subject
Emet-Selch stands up and makes his way to the side of his bed. Without a word he peels off his own shirt and gives his friend the briefest playful glance while tossing his shirt on the nightstand. He still has some loose-fitting slacks on, but ah well.
He pulls back the covers, slips under them, and pulls them over his waist. "Goodnight, Hythlodaeus." And the lights within the room dim.
no subject
He turns to slip into bed properly himself, sighing and cuddling up to Hades. The skin to skin contact is soothing, and he makes a pleased sound and nuzzles further into the warmth of his friend.
"Fine, I will sleep in my podea... since my dear friend refuses to make me anything else to sleep in, despite being the one to bring me here to begin with!"
no subject
"A mystery, to be sure." He mutters, feigning at grumbling without any means to make such complaints convincing.